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sapphic-yearning-lesbian · 3 years

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Epilogue (The Kumandra Memorial Hospital)

As annoying as it sounds I had this sitting on computer for a long time; I was just struggling to like it. SOO two days ago I rewrote the ending; so roughly 4,000 words out of 7,000... ANYWAY’S happy with it now.

Summary: Namaari and Raya being soft for each-other! Basically all fluff!

Warning’s: Mention of liquor, mild swearing, and implied sexual intercourse.

Here’s a preview, the rest of the story is on A03

The First Date

Raya had been discharged from the hospital for over a week, but she was still on bed rest, meaning she couldn't leave her house. Being surrounded by the same four walls was driving her insane. Even so, she was still thankful for her friends, family, and especially Namaari. They always came around and kept her company.

So what was Namaari to Raya?

Hell, as if Raya knew!

Namaari usually came around when others were present, so they hadn't gotten the opportunity to grow to know each other romantically any further. Yet, Namaari always found time to come and visit Raya, knowing they wouldn't be alone.

Maari, even bothering to show up, always meant the world to Raya as she genuinely felt wanted in her life.

Raya was looking in the bathroom mirror as she was towel drying her hair. Simultaneously, Sisu was changing her dampened wound bandages. Anticipating this, Raya had placed saran wrap over bandages to prevent this, but some water did manage to seep in. Thankfully Sisu remembers the basics of wound care and helps her change them.

Once Raya's hair isn't dripping, she brushes her hair as Sisu finishes. "Your bruise has gotten better," Sisu muttered under her breath, causing Raya to chuckle.

"Ohh, that's nothing!" Raya answers as she looks down at her chest in the mirror. She notices her bruise is fading and green now, only crawling partially on her left boob, mostly on her ribcage. "The bruise was spread across my whole rib cage and boob before in a grape purple."

Sisu nodded as she turned away and tossed Raya a huge oversized shirt. "I'll be outside the door," She said while making a peace sign exiting the bathroom.

Raya sighed as she slowly put on the shirt, trying not to injure herself further. Usually, Sisu or her Ba help her, but she's trying to do things independently; or at least try. She eventually managed to get the shirt on but was slightly winded by the effort needed to do the task.

Once she was all dressed in her oversized tan shirt with cheeky black underwear, she opened the bathroom door and found Namaari outside the door smiling at her. "NAMAARI!" Raya squealed as she lightly threw her arms over Maari's shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

"Raya," Namaari hummed as she wrapped one arm around Raya's waist as the other made its way up to her hair, gently massaging her scalp. "I need you to trust me, okay!" Namaari whispered as she pressed a quick kiss on Raya's right cheek, pulling away.

The warmth of Maari's lips kissing Raya's cheek still lingered as she nodded a quick yes. The next thing Raya knew, Namaari had pulled away and placed one hand over her eyes, as the other hand remained wrapped around her waist, leading her through the house.

"I know you're tired of being stuck at home," Namaari voice varies in high and low pinches, revealing her underlying nervousness. "I hope this helps," She admits as she guides Raya out to the backyard before removing her hand from her face. "SUPRISE"

When Raya opens her eyes, she first notices a white fabric hut in the middle of her backyard. The inside is full of comfy pillows and blankets. Her eyes then shift to the right, where she finds an array of foods and desserts on a picnic blanket; in the center sits a bottle of champagne and its glasses. She smiles as she shifts her gaze back to the left and notices a tiny projector pointing to her house.

The gasp that leaves Raya's mouth is full of amusement and pure joy. She couldn't believe Namaari pulled this all off in less than 30 minutes because that's how long she took showering and changing. "It's beautiful, Maari... words cannot describe what I'm feeling." Her stomach had erupted in butterflies while her core tingled ever so slightly.

Namaari only chuckles in amusement as she leads Raya to the assortment of foods she's provided. Once Raya comfortably sat down, she plops down (not so gracefully) next to her; she just wanted to be near her.

Maari understands how typical dates work: You sit across your date to get to know them better. But Namaari had learned so much about Raya these last four weeks.

That's all Namaari could really do; listen.

Technically Namaari was just another of Raya's friends. She couldn't comfortably kiss her or even touch her platonically, surrounded by others, out of respect, as they weren't official.

A friend who also happens to know the taste of the back of Raya's throat?

Anyways! Namaari knows Raya.

Raya loves the outdoor's more than anything, and her preferred way of exercising is hiking.

Raya has a prominent inner child.

Raya lives her day-to-day life in the spur of the moment but is very detail-oriented while working.

Raya's favorite color is turquoise because it's a mixture of both blue and green.

Raya is a night owl but will not work nightshifts.

Namaari knows Raya!

Raya smiled from ear to ear as Namaari popped the champagne bottle. "Woahhh, look at the bubble," She spoke in awe as she noticed the way Namaari bicep tightened as she popped off the cork.

The truth is Raya had quickly become obsessed with Namaari. She found herself missing her voice, the warm feeling in her abdomen when she was near, and her scoff.

Anytime Namaari scoffed, Raya felt as she died and returned to earth. She cannot come to explain the mixture of feelings that small action has on her entire being.

Raya is also very aware of Namaari's physical beauty; sometimes, she questions if Leonardo da Vinci sculpted her out of clay because there is genuinely nothing not to love! Raya loves Maari's rounded and wide nose, her pump upper lip missing its cupid bow, her squinted and curved eyes, her clean and maintained brows. But most of all, Raya loves Namaari's glistening, beautiful brown skin.

But of course, Raya also learned to appreciate Namaari as a whole. She liked to believe that she knew Namaari.

Her favorite color is gold.

She's an early bird!

Her favorite pass time is running marathons or volunteering with children. She is also very hard-headed and focused when working; sometimes, that seeps into her every day.

Maari also claims to be emotionally unattached, but Raya can see past that: She sees how much she wants to be understood and loved for all her flaws. And Raya hopes to be that for her.

Namaari poured the champagne into both their glasses, handing one to Raya once she finished. She then raised her glass to make a toast, Raya quickly mimicking her movements. "I want to toast to the beautiful stars and the moon shining above us." She raises the glass higher "And even as bright as they are, somehow you shine brighter than them, in your beauty." Namaari watches as Raya's face is engulfed in a red tint as she lightly shoves her shoulder with her own.

"I want to make a toast to Tong!" Raya spoke with a grin, only watching Namaari raise an eyebrow in confusion, "Because of him...I stumbled into the arms of this gorgeous specimen sitting beside me." She said, replacing her grin with a smile. "Cheers"

"Cheers."

They clinched their glasses before bringing the alcohol to their lips, both of them looking at each other with such fire and passion.

At that moment, a new feeling settled in their hearts, which they wouldn't express that night because love is scary.

...

For the rest of the night, they engaged in heartfelt conversations, passion-filled conversations, plenty of stolen or perfectly choreographed glances, the perfect amount of physical contact, and plenty of kisses—all amongst eating smores, shrimp Chao, a wide variety of fruits, and rice dumplings.

Once they finished conversating around 2 am they settled in the tent, watching the projected movie Luca on the side of Raya's house.

Namaari was the big spoon, and Raya was the small spoon.

They didn't actually watch the movie as they were too busy kissing each other's faces. Overall, they enjoyed having alone time as it allowed them to explore their romantic feelings for one another.

As the movie came to an end, Raya started to doze off. Namaari only watched her as she struggled to keep her eyes open, a smile resting on her lips. Never did that smile leave her face the entire night. Maari only scoffed as she bent her head down to press a kiss onto the tip of Raya's nose. "Are you awake, Dep La?" She asked in a whisper as the other only nodded while nuzzling deeper into her chest. "Can you look at me?"

Raya yawned into Namaari's chest as she pulled her face away just enough to lock her eyes onto Maari's. "Is this when you tell me our relationship is platonic?" She questions with the tiniest smirk on her lips. Namari only smirked back at her, causing her heart to began to flutter.

"Actually, about that...will you be my girlfriend? Like officially?" Namaari questioned as she ran on hand through her hair. All the while watching as Raya's eyes widen as a cheerful gasp slipped from her lips.

"AHHHH, I GOT THE HOT ER NURSE TO ASK ME OUT," Raya yelps as she lifts her free hand, pumping the air. "That's a yes." She finally clarifies as they both burst out laughing.

---

Apparently I’m a hopeless romantic for these two. Good to know XD.

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lesbian-octoling · 3 years

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The After FAQ

Q: I’m not 18, but I’m going to be very soon! Can I still sign up?

A: You have to be 18+ at the time of submitting your form. If you are 18: you can submit a form! If you’re 17, you can’t. If you’re going to be 18 a few months after the start date, you’re welcome to join as a spectator, but it will be too late to join in as a player. Apologies :(

Q: When will spectators be allowed to join?

A: We’re not sure when or how we’re going to open it up to spectators, but it will happen! It’s gonna be a lot less intensive than player apps- basically ‘are you 18 and can you send a social media to verify it’. It WILL be before we start though, and unlike player apps, spectator apps will never close!

Q: What are you looking for in terms of RP quality and length?

A: Answered in detail here! TLDR, we’re looking for quality over quantity. We are still looking for high-quality roleplayers… though high quality doesn’t always mean super active or super long/fancy responses each time- quality means 'fun to roleplay with’!

Q: How many people will you be accepting?

A: This depends on several factors, including if I have a lot of people playing 2 characters vs 1 character, what characters I think could mesh well, and also my mental state whenever the application accepting times rolls around (it's easier to manage less people, though more can be potentially more fun). I'm shooting for around 10-15 people max, and about 20-30 characters max. I'm just gonna eyeball it when the time comes.

Q: How will characters be chosen, and will there be any preference/bias?

A: Players will be chosen on a lot of factors, mostly on their passion for their characters, quality of writing, and if their character is already taken or not. There is no purposeful bias towards OCs, canon characters, etc.

Q: How ‘close do canon’ do my interpretations of canon characters have to be? Can I deviate from canon?

A: Yes, you can deviate from canon! I go into more detail here, but TLDR: Characters are 100% open to player interpretation and even redesigns. The only 'limit' is that they have to be recognizable as their original character to some extent. Otherwise, go crazy go stupid!

Q: Help! I messed something up on my form!

A: That’s ok! You can edit it.

Q: You mentioned these inklings will be partially xeno/bio-based- what exactly is the anatomy here?

A: Yep! The setting is semi-xeno, but not extreme. There’s a visual guide here if you’d like, but I recommend reading the rest of this anyway. Some of the details include the fact that ALL inkfish (inklings, octolings, and any other cepahlopods) are:

Humanoid (no mantles or oddly shaped limbs)

Have (usually white) beaks, not teeth

Often have freckles/colored splotches, and small glowing freckles/spots

Have white ‘meat’ and blue blood, but are supported by pressurized ink in place of bones

Clean water does not kill them- but they have very porous, fragile skin that means they can absorb dirty water/mutagen quickly to make them sick, and their skin can be torn by enough of a pressurized blast of water (think a power washer or high-power hose).

The main differences between inklings and octolings (aside form the obvious like ears and masks) are:

Inklings have purely round/circular pupils, while octolings have pupils that can widen/contract between horizontal and round

Inklings have thin, catlike retractable claws/’hooks’, while octolings have thicker claws that are more of a hard extension of the finger

Inkling hair is NOT prehensile- it’s mostly made of fat. It cannot feel pain, and only bleeds a little bit. This makes them better at storing nutrients. However, octoling tentacles ARE prehensile, can feel pain, and will bleed heavily if cut- but they have little fat storage on them.

For non-inkfish characters, just about anything is up for grabs (within reason).

Q: What if my characters have a feature that isn’t supported by these headcanons?

A: This is sort of a case-by-case basis. Generally, your base character will have to fit the qualifications above just for consistency’s sake across all players. If your character has a unique feature- IE, strangely shaped pupils, tail, etc- that you want to keep, there’s a possibility that they could be already partially mutated, but managed to keep their sanity.

This has a lot of pros and cons- pros include unique features and potentially abilities (tail for balance, good vision, extra long claws, quills)... but it also means they’re only one tiny accident away from becoming fully mutated, while other players have that health buffer. If that happens, you lose control of your character for the duration they’re mutated. This isn’t even bringing up the potential discrimination they may face IC, as many people are wary of partial mutants.

If you want to do this, or aren’t sure, feel free to message me with the details.

Q: Can I play a non-inkling/octoling species?

A: Yes! You can play as any species that fits into the settings of splatoon! Most marine animals are fair game, including marine invertibrates and fishes. Sapient marine mammals are iffy, as they’re technically canon by a one-off line. I will accept fully marine mammals such as dolphins and narwals, but not semi-aquatic animals, such as sea otters. Some ideas of accepted species includes: shrimps, jellies, nudibranches, eels, any saltwater fishes, urchins, salmonids, etc.

I also will not be allowing sapient reptiles, birds, land/semi-aquatic mammals, or land invertebrates. Also, I won’t be accepting ‘magical’ (Ghosts, cryptids, etc) or unrealistic hybrid creatures (An eel/inkling hybrid born naturally, salmonlings), as this is a slightly more realistic as opposed to fantastic setting.

Q: But if I play a non-cephalopod character, how will they fight with ink?

A: Good news! Ink isn’t the main weapon here.

Ink is used as a weapon still, but less offensively and more tactically. Having a small ink gun on hand is useful for making quick getaways, distracting/stalling mutants, and even spraying it in their face as a distraction, deterrent, or to blind them if you do go to attack. For most mutants, however, ink will not kill or ‘splat’ them, as not all mutants are inklings mutants. Plus, it would be unfair to non-inkfish characters.

Physical weapons such as bats, knives, and guns (and even some weirder stuff like swords, bows, etc) are going to be your go-to, like any apocalypse, though ink weaponry in addition can be a big boon in a battle.

This is also a good time to mention that while we don’t have specific stats or anything, your character’s species will affect how they fight and are impacted by fights.

Inkfish are very fast and can jump very high, are extremely resistant to blunt force trauma, and can use ink... but are very weak to slicing/piercing things and chemicals/mutagen because of their thin skin. Urchins can’t use ink and may be slow, but have potentially toxic spines and hard skin that resists piercing damage. Shrimp might have a fragile exoskeleton and not a lot of natural weapons, but it makes them very resistant to chemical and mutagen splashes. It’s all good stuff to keep in mind!

Q: Can I know more about the mutants?

A: Yes, to an extent! There’s some info on the mutants here.

Q: Can I know more about the mutagen?

A: Yes, to an extent! There’s some more info on mutagen here.

Q: There’s a lot of questionable/offensive/weird content in Coroika. Will this be allowed/what elements of coroika will there be?

A: The short answer is ‘only some minor elements will be taken, and all weird/offensive stuff MUST be retconned or addressed’. We’re mostly going to be supporting the game’s canon, NOT the comic’s canon. I go into this more detail here, which I suggest you read if you plan on playing a Coroika character.

Q: Who are the mods?

A: Myself and @bubblegum-spaceboy are the main two mods who will be doing the bulk of the important NPC/world stuff!

However, we have two sub-mods who helped create the server/concepts, and will also be there to help out with little stuff if neither of us are available, and play some minor NPCs. These two are @bombcollar, and my friend Emmy who doesn’t really use tumblr lol.

Help! My question isn’t answered here!

Feel free to send in an ask or a message, and I’ll respond as best I can :D

#The After #TA FAQ

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getreadytosmash · 3 years

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Future Smashers: Coral "Caridea"

- Coral Thalia Sterns, daughter of Phil Sterns and niece of Samuel Sterns

- Result of a late night stand where she was then passed along to Phil when Coral showed signs of being a gamma mutate and her mother said "fuck that"

- Technically an Abomination but no one knows what reptile just yet

- Powers came in around birth and caused a lot of difficulty - especially with Coral's "horns" aka her spikes

- Special interest in marine biology after she found old books left from Mila and Coral's similarities when no one else looked like her at times

- Underwent experiments for years including early trips to the Green Door

- Lacks armour and has a mixture of scales and skin when she's in Hulk form

- Original power included a sort of vocal affect that could cause pain and a feeling of sickness in people - much like how sperm whales can cause pain with their clicks and songs

- Selectively mute and partially physically mute when Phil tried to stop said power. Coral has a lot of damage to her throat from mainly strangulation and mental truama of "Daddy wanting her to stop talking" at all costs

- Phil died at some point and Coral was then moved to Mila Sterns (grandmother), her new husband and daughter for a short while before decisions were made when theh couldn't cope with her truama and abilities

- Samuel was contacted by his mother for the first time in years and it was Mila asking him to take in his six year old niece

- Awkward at first but holy shit they clicked fast when they had the same interests and same abuser

- Samuel caught onto Coral being trans REAL quick and fixed her up with the best he could

- Often clings to Samuel as a child for comfort on her senses but also when she's more happier later on just. Uses Samuel as a personal charging station

- Fast learner that started for survival and grew into her genuinely wanting to be like Samuel

- Knows ASL, BSL and CSL

- Starts to speak it she's really upset and that causes more damage which further upsets her

- Wanted to be called Sea Dragon but Annie found out about a shrimp species and Caridea stuck >:(

- 5'6 when an adult and 6'9 when a Hulk. She's crying why are Sterns genes like this

- Has a tail when a Abomination! Wags a lot

- LOVES Rick and anyone who Samuel really likes her and Rick often butt heads affectionately when they see each other

- Makes fun of Samuel for being a nerd and lack of self care but she is. Just as bad

- Passes out in the middle of the day when she overworks herself and Annie just. Sighs and heaves her up mid walk

- L o V E S the X Files. Big special interest with marine biology. Knows every line off the top of her head. Watches the whole series with DD, Rick and Samuel every few months and had a massive crush on Mulder and Scully....still does

- Wants to find every deep sea creature and hug it

- Really loves dancing and often bobs her head when working

- Owns a experimental raptor Samuel created called "Dumbo" which was infused with the genetics of an orange for her protection after Phil attacked her once. Bobo is baby.

- Gets nightmares often and sleeps mostly in the early morning to late morning

- Does extreme sports. Gives Samuel fifty heart attacks a day when she gets Hiro-Kala and Caiera to use rock powers to make a mega roller blade lane. Samuel asked her to pls maybe stop endangering yourself, Sweetshrimp??? And she told him she was becoming a stuntwoman in return

- Skateboarded down Avengers tower when Aydan dared her to

- So many science rants with Samuel oh god they need care so badly or they will die info dumping each other

- Grows up and still does so many free deep dives but also works on the deep water gamma base

- Audibly laughs and it's like a hamster gargled nails. Sometimes will say the people she loves most's names for the affection alone

- Paws at her throat when having panic attacks or flashbacks

- collects ocean themed stuff, seashells and cool patterned sunglasses

- ear fins flap when she's excited or happy

#future verse #he swims in a sea of regret (samuel)#deep sea genius (coral)#my FAVOURITE GIRL IS BA C K PEOPLE #and i transified her #i purposely made her exactly like Samuel #cause she just. does reflect him in every way

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theonlinemuse · 4 years

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And now it’s Yolanda’s turn to have a headcanon post! @freckledpianoman and me wanted to contribute more Yolanda Montez content to the tags now that the season finale has aired:

Yolanda’s family follows Mexican naming conventions so her full name is Yolanda Pilar Montez Zurita. Montez is her father’s last name while Zurita is her mother’s maiden name. And yes, Zurita is for Juan Zurita

Nicknames are also a tradition in the Montez family. Yolanda’s parents called her mija and nena before their estrangement while her maternal grandmother and her little brother call her by her diminutive name, Yoyi

Courtney’s absolutely delighted when she first hears Yolanda’s abuelita call her Yoyi. She thinks it’s adorable. Yolanda just fondly rolls her eyes when Court whisper yells Yoyi at her all starry eyed

She’s third generation Mexican American. Her maternal grandparents, the Zuritas were originally from Puebla and they came to Blue Valley in the 1970s where their daughters, Maria and Mimi (Yolanda’s mom and aunt) were born and raised. Yolanda grew up speaking Spanish, but she’s not fluent like her parents. She sometimes blanks out trying to remember certain words

“Man, I don’t even know how to begin explaining this in Spanish.”

Yolanda admits that she’s not much of a cook, but she grew up helping her abuelita make traditional dishes and as a result the only two dishes that Yolanda’s capable of making are mole poblano and chiles en nogada

She shares these recipes with Beth and they eventually start cooking together in Beth’s kitchen while Chuck blares music requests in the background

Yolanda usually wears her hair in double braids because her abuelito used to braid her hair in the morning before school. He always claimed that braids were the one style he could confidently do out of all the hairstyles that Yolanda’s abuelita taught him

She does start branching out after Courtney and Beth start helping her experiment with different hairstyles. Yolanda does styles like half up or regular space buns, topknots, braided low ponytails, and she rarely wears her hair down

Courtney once accidentally dyed Yolanda’s hair red when she was trying to give her highlights. Artemis helped fixed it (thanks to the time she accidentally went blonde for a month) but Yolanda ended up with ombre hair for a few weeks

For her quinceañera, Yolanda took inspiration from old photos of her abuelita and silver screen bombshells from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema

Yolanda started learned how to box from her abuelito when she was nine. He was a former lightweight boxing champion in Puebla and he taught boxing classes at a school that he founded with a fellow boxer (who Yolanda later discovers to be Henry Grant, the first Wildcat’s father) after he retired. It became their bonding time

He died when she was fourteen and she joined the Blue Valley High boxing team as a way to honour his memory. She even adopted his boxing nickname, The Mauler

Boxing wasn’t the only sport that she did growing up. Yolanda’s mom signed her up for ballet classes when she was in kindergarten and she was good enough to attend summer classes at the American Ballet Academy during middle school, starring in a few small productions like Coppélia and The Taming of the Shrew

She was forced to quit ballet after the fallout with Cindy leaking her pics and she was closed off for weeks because she missed dancing. After joining the JSA, Beth invited her to sit in on her ballroom dance lesson because “I know it’s not ballet exactly, but you get antsy if you don’t dance, I totally get that”

Yolanda only intended to go to the one lesson, but after partnering up with Beth for a not-so-serious tango and laughing harder than she has for months, she went back to the next lesson. And the next one and by the time the fourth lesson rolls around, Yolanda decides to sign up for the same classes as Beth

Yolanda can eat spicy food as long as there’s just ground spices in it, but she cannot handle chilies, much to her dismay. Every time she accidentally eats one, her eyes water and you can literally see her trying to hold in her reaction going, “nope, I’m not gonna do this, I’m not going to have my ancestors laugh their collective asses off just because I can’t handle a damn pepper”

She eventually caves when Courtney and Beth offer her their chocolate milk

Because she was raised Catholic, Yolanda has a habit of eating fish and shellfish instead of meat on Fridays. Fridays are when the JSA go out to eat instead of staying in the cafeteria and it’s Yolanda’s day to indulge in seafood. Courtney is still surprised how Yolanda can put away two giant king crabs like it’s no big deal, their bodies alone are bigger than Rick’s face

Yolanda’s favourites are coconut curry steamed clams, grilled shrimp, and the crab boil, all washed down with a raspberry lemon agua fresca

Her love for seafood has earned her an annoying, yet affectionate nickname from her cousins, “fish head”

“Mauler Montez, huh? You should’ve gone with El Mero, it’s much more on the nose.”

Courtney and Beth are the only people that Yolanda will share her seafood feast with because a) she gets to feed Beth for once and b) she knows how much Courtney loves shrimp

Rick can starve and Artemis keeps getting her hand smacked away every time she tries to sneak food

“It was one freaking scallop!” “Aren’t you allergic? Do you want to break out into hives again?”

When Beth first brought Artemis to sit at the loser’s table, Yolanda was a little wary of her because she’s known for tackling football players twice her height and she’s pretty sure her parents are Sportsmaster and Tigress. Now Yolanda and Artemis are snarky, overly competitive friends who arm wrestle and and have each others’ backs on the football team

Artemis managed to convince Yolanda to join as an alternate member since football season is right after boxing season and the team could use more girls

Artemis is still trying to convince Beth and Courtney to join as well

“You guys need something other than the JSA, you can get all your frustrations out in football.”

Courtney and Beth drag Rick to games to cheer them on

They both have huge sweet tooths and Artemis is constantly trying to steal the tres leches cake and chocolate flan that Yolanda brings to school. And it’s often a race to get the last one of whatever baked good Beth has brought with her that day

And as huge tomboys as they are, Yolanda and Artemis are arguably the best at doing makeup out of all the girls. Artemis likes experimenting with eyeliner and smokey eyeshadows while Yolanda knows a lot about lip products thanks to her abuelita, who rocks red lipstick and berry flavoured lip gloss well into her seventies

Yolanda means “violet” and she was named as such because her landscape architect mother was working on a Phillipine violet garden during her pregnancy and there was a pot of Persian violets in the OBGYN’s office the day the Montezes found out they were having a girl

Even the earrings that her grandparents gave Yolanda for her first communion were a pair of violet shaped stud earrings

Her abuelita even gave her a pressed violet pendant choker for her fifteenth birthday

Yolanda is a huge horror movie fan. It was a tradition that she shared with her dad since no one else in the family can stand them. Now she keeps trying to get Beth to watch horror movies with her despite the “Halloween only tradition” because Beth’s the only other person who would survive a horror movie

Beth spends half the time clinging to Yolanda when they’re not booing at horror cliches and trying to predict which character is dying next while berating fictional life choices

Courtney and Rick are in the other room pouting, trying and failing to catch up on homework

On the flip side, Beth makes Yolanda watch cartoons with her after horror movies because between school and the JSA, they need other ways to relax and unwind. Yolanda ends up loving The Owl House

“I started watching it because Luz looks like me. I kept watching because it’s so good.” “Yolanda! You did get hooked, you big nerd!”

Beth also finds out that Yolanda is also really into She-Ra, which may or may not have to do with how Catra and Adora look like Yolanda and Courtney. Beth doesn’t stop grinning and nudging her for the rest of the night when she sees Yolanda blushing over Catra and Adora

“You guys could dress up as them for Halloween!”

Despite their different tastes, they both enjoy true crime and history shows. They’re both fans of Drunk History and the Drunk Mystery Halloween episodes

And Beth is surprised to learn that Yolanda has a soft spot for period dramas as well. The both love Hidden Figures and The Personal History of David Copperfield

Yolanda is what Artemis likes to refer to as a distinguished bi. She knew that she was bi since she was fourteen when her abuelito pointed out that the way she acted around the very pretty ballerina in her dance class was the exact same as the way she acted around the very charming baseball player

“Abuelito, oh my god! Did anyone else notice?” “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, mija. You just have very good taste in people, just like your Tia Mimi.” “Tia Mimi likes girls too?”

And thus, her abuelito technically became the first person she came out to

She’s out to only two other people in her family, her little brother and her abuelita. It’s not like her parents would be disappointed in her for being bisexual (the congregation that the Montezes go to is fairly open) but Yolanda wasn’t able to talk with them about it because of her estrangement with them

Whenever she gets a crush on someone, she does this little honking laugh that makes Rick look at her in a mix of horror and confusion

“What the hell, is that your laugh? Stop flirting and help me find Hootie before Beth finds out he’s missing.”

It’s what clues him in to Yolanda’s crush on Courtney

Due to her estrangement from her parents, Yolanda didn’t think about having a quinceañera, but the JSA decides to throw her one with help from Yolanda’s abuelita, Socorro “Coco” Zurita, who’s played by Adriana Barraza. Aside from Tia Mimi who’s played by Marisa Ramirez and Yolanda’s cousins Josefa and Charo, played by Lee Rodriguez and Herizen Guardiola, Abuelita Coco is pretty much the only other family member besides Alex who still talks with her and she will make sure that her granddaughter has a wonderful quinces

Yolanda was never really a big fan of big, poofy dresses because they remind her of the itchy netted dresses that she had to wear for her first communion and other big church events she had to go to as a kid. So Beth and abuelita Coco decide to surprise her by making a skirted jumpsuit instead

And while she doesn't wear heels that often, joining Beth at her dance classes helps ensure that she rocks the Wildcat blue shoes that Courtney picks out for her

Beth, Courtney, and Artemis all pitch in to get a cat eye necklace for Yolanda to wear at her quinces. Yolanda denies crying when they give it to her

“Are you crying?” “It’s my allergies acting up, no big deal.”

And instead of the father-daughter dance, the JSA just converges on Yolanda for one big slow group dance One Day at a Time style

Yolanda and Courtney have more than a few slow dances together

She has nicknames for everyone in the JSA. Courtney is Shooting Star, Beth is Sunshine, Artemis is Hawkeye, and Rick is John Bender

“Seriously, Yolanda? You couldn’t have been more creative.” “Would you rather I call you One Minute Man?” “Ugh, just don’t say it in front of Beth.”

Yolanda knows so many Selena songs by heart because abuelita Coco is a huge fan. She grew up singing along to Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and Como La Flor and it’s almost a Pavlovian response to sing along to a Selena song whenever she hears one on the radio during JSA car trips

Courtney and Beth totally sing along with her while Artemis heckles them and Rick just groans and tells the girls to keep it down when he’s trying to drive

Yolanda is the only JSA member that Beth’s goggles will work for, but she still can’t make the staff glow. However, she’s the only person (other than Courtney and Pat) who’s able to order it around

“Wait, why is she able to order it around?” “Maybe because it knows Yolanda is a boss.”

#Stargirl #Yolanda Montez #Courtney Whitmore #Starcat #ship it

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purplesurveys · 4 years

Text

862

All About the Letter S

Animals I Like: Sharks, snakes, seals, sheep, snails. Foods I Like: Seafood! Shrimp, squid, sea urchin, salmon, scallops. I also really like spaghetti, sushi, sashimi, steak, satay, sandwiches, samgyeopsal, and shawarma. I Know Someone Who’s (jobs): My cousin works in sales but I’m not sure what his exact title is. My mom is a secretary in her work while my dad used to be a sous chef. Other than them I know a security guard, singer, set designer, and screenwriter.

I Wouldn’t Mind Visiting: Spain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Salt Lake City, Sapporo, Seoul, Sao Paulo, and San Antonio so I can visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins hahaha. I wanna go back to Singapore and South Korea too (I went to a different region which is why I still listed down Seoul). Sometimes I Feel: Sad, of course that’s gotta be on here. Sullen, sentimental, scared, sarcastic.

Music I Listen To: Sam Smith, Silent Sanctuary, Solange, Sleeping With Sirens, SZA. Also used to listen to Sick of it All and The Sex Pistols in high school. Movies I’ve Seen: Schindler’s List, Spotlight, The Shawshank Redemption, The Shape of Water, The Shining, Sabrina, Silver Linings Playbook, Scream, Scream 4, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Shrek 2, Steve Jobs, Salt, Split, Shutter Island, Signs, Slumdog Millionaire, The Sixth Sense. First few minutes of Se7en before I got a little bored, oops. Names I Like: Seraphina, Sabrina, Sabine, Sandrine, Sophia, Stephanie, Shiloh, Scarlett, Sienna, Sierra, Suri. And now, onto the random questions! 1. Is summer your favorite season? Why or why not? We only get two seasons, and technically summer isn’t even one of them. We do get a ~dry~ season which is basically summer, and I personally hate it for the most part because I’ve never liked the heat unless I’m at the beach – which I don’t get to do a lot because the dry season takes place right in the middle of the semester. I hate sweating too, so yeah it’s just uncomfortable for me all around. 2. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? Monte Cristo and spicy chicken. 3. Do you enjoy sushi? Aw man I love sushi dude. Can’t wait till I’m rich enough to buy platters of them just for myself all the time. 4. Are you any good at spelling? Yeah. I realized I had a knack for them early on when we’d do spelling tests in grade school and I kept getting perfect marks while everyone failed lol. Or idk, maybe my classmates were just bad at spelling. Whatever it is, I ended up really liking spelling and at one point Akeelah and the Bee was my favorite movie. 5. Who’s your favorite superhero? Not big on that whole genre. Wonder Woman if I had to give an answer. 6. Do you feel like you have a sixth sense? What is it? Nopes. I kinda sorta hold a belief in some aspects of the supernatural, but I don’t claim to have seen or heard anything. 7. Do you drink soda? If so, what’s your favorite kind? No. Hate the fizzy feeling in my tongue and throat. 8. Favorite kind of soup? Miso. Always have to have it when I get Japanese food. 9. What brand of dish soap do you use? How about hand soap? Sanitizer? Shampoo? Shaving cream? Oh man I’m too lazy to check haha but as far as I know we have Joy dishwashing liquid, and Dove for my shampoo, Green Cross alcohol (we use alcohol at home instead of sanitizers). 10. Do you stutter a lot? Only when I’m made to speak on something I don’t know about/I didn’t prepare enough for. 11. Do you smile often? Sure. 12. Have you ever stolen anything before? What was it? Pens that are left behind on a desk or that were dropped onto the floor, though I only do that if I’ve run out of pens. I still feel uncomfortable about stealing anything, in general. 13. What is sacred to you? Friends. 14. Skateboarding, skiing, sledding, or surfing? Skiing sounds like a lot of fun. 15. Do you remember Stoop Kid? Nope. 16. Have you ever collected seashells by the seashore? I’ve collected them but I always put them back in the sand right after. 17. Has anyone ever slapped you before? Yes, my brother. It’s why I have entirely stopped talking to him. 18. How many swimsuits do you own? I have several one-piece swimsuits. I have way more bikinis because I find them more comfortable to wear. 19. Did you used to love stickers as a kid? How about as an adult? I loved them then and I love them now. I once covered my parents’ cabinet with Disney-themed stickers when I was like five. By some miracle my mom never gave me shit for that, which I give her tons of credit for because looking back on it, it was a shitty thing to do with a cabinet and my work wasn’t too pretty either, lol. 20. Are you afraid to stand on the scale? No but I do get worried whenever it dips to 90-92 lbs. [a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

#survey #surveys

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anonthenullifier · 5 years

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Of Cephalopods and Pistol Shrimp

Summary: Vision helps Wanda figure out a new way to harness her powers by using techniques from the ocean.

AO3 link

Based on a fic suggestion from @thissweetmoment about how Wanda goes from her looser powers in Age of Ultron to the tight, electric spheres in Civil War. Sorry this took me so damn long to actually write. I hope you enjoy!

I hope everyone else enjoys this as well!

Existence is a fascinating ordeal. Technically the number of experiences and sensations are finite, yet each day Vision encounters something new. Sometimes it is a smell, such as Rhodes’ burnt toast or the antiseptic, lemony sting of the new cleaning solution the custodial staff recently switched to. Other days it is a sound, like the way pages whisper when Sam falls asleep on the couch, his magazine tumbling to the floor or the authoritative click of Natasha’s shoes. Tactile sensations are amongst his favorite, entire nights spent running the pads of his fingers over the bumps in the imperfect paint on his bedroom wall, dipping into the crevices of the grains in the kitchen table, analyzing the difference between the tiles of the backsplash and the grout, or relishing the effervescent embrace when he flies into the clouds. Taste is a curiosity but not enough to waste food. Even when he experiences the same stimuli numerous times, it is somehow never the same and that is what makes it so enthralling.

His eyes do not waver from the reinforced plexiglass in front of him, arms crossed over his chest in mimicry of Sam and Steve’s shared stance (apparently, this is a sign of contemplation), as they complete the latest test devised by Stark to map the abilities of the new Avengers. They all watch as Wanda sends furious and untamed tendrils out, the scarlet matter beginning as a cohesive unit before spasming into myriad uneven pathways. It’s reminiscent of a documentary he watched the other night on cephalopods, the red clouds surrounding Wanda shimmering and undulating much like the frenzied dance of the ink as the animal fled danger. The tactic is mesmerizing, always new, the patterns sporadic and unique, much like snowflakes, yet just as with snowflakes, it is only effective in large quantities, which tires Wanda out.

“She’s terrifying.”

Steve grunts noncommittally at Sam’s awed comment and Vision finds himself confused at the terminology. Terror is what horror movies are meant to evoke, the white knuckles of Wanda’s hand as she absentmindedly grips his bicep during a team movie night, or the wide-eyed, shaking stance of a small child they find in amongst the ruins on a mission. There is nothing about this display that elicits said reaction. Perhaps their adversaries would feel some terror from this, but teammates should not. “I think it is calming.”

The two men turn and stare at him, the same furrowed brows and slight side-eye occurs now that happens any time Vision attempts to make an observation counter to what has been stated. “It’s something, for sure.” Steve remains neutral, unaffected by the training as he clicks the intercom switch, “I think we’re good for now, Wanda.”

Wanda throws a tired thumbs up in their direction and exits out the side door, arriving in the communication center minutes later, her breath light and rapid, muscles shaking slightly as she huddles in close to watch the tape of her performance. It is impolite to stare, or so he has been informed, and yet Vision cannot stop himself from watching Wanda watch her own tape, curious to see if there are any signs of terror in her stance. “It seems a bit sloppy.” Her comment is factual but tinged with a negative emotion that is not terror, per se, perhaps more like the time Wanda stepped in the aftermath of a food fight that happened at the team’s fourth of July barbecue. Disgust, yes, that’s it, not terror.

“It could be tightened up,” Steve agrees with her observation, though he does not seem upset, “we really need to find a way to channel it all into, I don’t know,” a wary hand rubs the back of Steve’s neck, his day longer than their own, having to watch and critique each teammate, “concentrate it somehow.”

Wanda nods, forehead wrinkling at the comment while her lips purse in concentration, “Do you have any recommendations?”

A sigh answers her, the same one Steve used when Vision asked him if there were any known exercises to help him with his phasing. “I need to think on it for a bit.”

“Okay.”

“Sam,” the conversation moves on as Steve turns to the last of the team to go into the simulator, “you’re up.”

Sam grins, snapping on his goggles with an, “Alright!”

Her session done, Wanda leaves the room and Vision waits exactly five minutes before excusing himself for the evening.

It’s while he’s watching another ocean documentary that Vision realizes he may be able to help Wanda. Unfortunately, this occurs at 4:15am and for once, no one else in the compound seems to have insomnia. To pass the time, he sets himself up in the common room lounge and drafts plans for different exercises, tests some of them himself with the Mindstone, though he recognizes the confound in his attempts to extrapolate his own power set to hers. It’s at 5:30am when Steve and Sam come in with a friendly, “Morning, Vision.”

“Good morning, Captain Rogers, Mr. Wilson.”

Sam always gets this smirk when Vision addresses him, a small shake of his head and sometimes a roll of his eyes. “Dude, just Steve and Sam.”

This has been told to him before, yet it seems very impersonal given their longer duration in heroics. “My apologies.”

“We’re going out for a run, wanna join?”

Usually Vision is not in the common room at this time, mainly for this reason. He is aware the offer is out of politeness when it comes from Sam (it is a command when it is from Steve), which means he can technically say no, though his stomach always seems to rotate uncomfortably when he turns them down. But he doesn’t want to get distracted and miss out on Wanda. He also, if he is being honest, is not particularly fond of running, flight a far more invigorating experience. “No thank you, I am attempting to draw up potential exercises for Miss M- for Wanda to better examine her powers.”

Steve nods in approval, “Good, I think that’s a great idea, you two can probably learn a lot from each other.”

“Yes,” Vision’s stomach evens out, no longer churning at dismissing their request, “I do believe that is true.”

“Alright, well, have fun.” Sam winks at him, taking a bite of his granola bar as he and Steve leave the common space.

It’s approximately forty-three minutes later that Wanda enters, her hair thrown up in a ponytail and still adorning her pajamas with a baggy sweatshirt. She shuffles towards the kitchen, her eyes leaving the ground once to make sure she is heading in the right direction. “Good morning, Wanda.” He seems to surprise her, her hands clutching the sweatshirt tighter as her face swings in the direction of his voice.

It takes several agonizing seconds for her to respond with an un-emotive, “Morning.”

“Did you sleep well?”

Wanda shrugs and it conveys more than enough information, her sleep patterns erratic and unhealthy, though they are getting better. This seems to end their conversation, her feet taking her closer to the kitchen. Vision stands, fingers twisted as he considers his next step, but now that he’s standing, it would be awkward to sit back down, he thinks, so he phases through the couch and follows her to the kitchen, coming to stand next to the stools at the island while she busies herself making her tea. “I had an idea last night,” Wanda turns towards him, face expectant, “I, um, well I believe I had an epiphany on how best to harness your powers,” her stare doesn’t change, despite the fact he feels like it should be blossoming with the excitement, just as his did when he had the revelation, “the way Captain Rogers suggested, by concentrating it.”

Her response is slow, the two-syllable, “Okay,” lasting long enough that it feels like eight.

“I was watching a very fascinating documentary last night about cavitation and pistol shrimp—”

“Am I going to need some coffee for this?”

Vision pauses, taken aback by the change in her preference and why she is inquiring of him, “I believe you should drink whatever sounds most appealing to you.”

This garners a laugh, though he isn’t sure why, but it is a pleasant experience, his own mouth lifting in response to her apparent joy at his comment. “You’re going to have simplify this for me.”

Which is fair. “Cavitation is a phenomenon in which cavities are formed due to rapid changes in pressure and this change in pressure, if it becomes too great, the cavity can collapse into a shockwave.”

“More simple.”

Vision follows her as she fills her cup with tea, drizzling honey in while she stirs and then tossing in a pinch of sugar for good measure. No one else on the team ever attempts to understand him this way, to demand he work on his communication, and so he is never offended when she asks him to rephrase or simplify. “When you use your powers now, they are free-flowing, like,” the simile of his revelation may be apt to use now, “a cephalopod…” Wanda glances up at him as she blows gently on the tea, and wordlessly she informs him to keep simplifying, “a squid or an octopus, when it is alarmed, it sends out ink into the water. This method is particularly useful for obfuscating,” another glance and he runs through a thesaurus online, “confusing people, a distraction–”

A shimmering cloud engulfs her hand, wispy and tumultuous with the rotation of her wrist, “Are you forgetting how my squid powers took you down in training last week.”

“I am not, it was an impressive display of power,” she glances down at her tea though it is not enough to fully mask the upward curve of her mouth, “but you would have been victorious even faster had you acted more like a pistol shrimp.”

“Which would be?”

“Oh, um,” this speech went smoother when he rehearsed it earlier in the morning, though his conversational skills are always more confident when he is alone and practicing than when her green eyes are locking onto him, flecked with an amusement that sends electric shocks down his spine, “to gather your powers into a bundle of unequal pressure and then let it loose.” If the quirk of her eyebrow is any indication, this is still not as illuminating as he hoped. “I can show you a video?”

Wanda waves her hand at the tablet on the counter and she takes the seat next to his as he searches for a good example. Together they watch a five minute clip of a pistol shrimp, first at actual speed which makes it look like the shrimp is punching the air, but then the scientists present a slowed down version and together they watch as a small air bubble forms in the middle of the open pincher. “This is pretty cool.”

A warmth, similar to his first time winning one of the training challenges, circles his chest, “It is.”

Suddenly the shrimp closes its pincher and the bubble collapses, sending a shockwave through the water, stirring the rocks at the bottom of the tank and immobilizing the smaller crustacean in the tank. When the video ends, Wanda lifts her hand, powers collapsing from their usual tempest into a centralizing orb. “So, you’re saying something like this could be more effective?”

“Assuming your powers can be driven by cavitation, yes, with enough pressure you may be able to more efficiently remove threats.”

She studies the orb undulating in her palm, head cocked to the side, allowing the red to reflect off her eyes, and Vision is briefly mesmerized by it, until she extinguishes the orb, jolting him back to the present. “Worth a shot. I assume you already have exercises planned?”

Others on the team have said similar statements, theirs laced with exhaustion and aggravation, at times, Wanda’s is neither of those, the corners of her eyes pinching as the right side of her mouth tips up. “I do, yes. Shall we reconvene in the training gym in approximately fifteen minutes?”

“Sounds good.”

When they meet again, he has restructured his molecules into his uniform, feeling like his new staple of slacks and a sweater do not belong in such a space. Wanda is not in her uniform, but is wearing the same outfit she dons when Steve forces her on the morning run three days a week. “Okay,” Wanda’s tightens her ponytail as she talks, “so how are we doing this?”

“I believe we should start simple, so I have set up a number of targets ranging in weight and size,” he directs her towards a table containing several sizes of soup cans, dumbbells, and kettlebells. “I have downloaded a relatively novel program that will allow me to analyze both the broadband noise and subharmonics created before you unleash your powers.”

Wanda’s lips tighten in time with her hesitant nod, “I’m guessing that’s how you tell the, um, power of the attack?”

It is close to what he is doing, if she replaces power with pressure. “Precisely.” A broad, toothy smile parts her lips and he mimics it, always enjoying these small moments of glee she shares with him. “Would you like to try?”

“Yep.” Wanda spreads her feet out so her stance is a touch wider than her shoulders, her right foot approximately an inch closer to the display than her left. Slowly her powers pool around her hand and even more slowly she draws them together into an orb. He expects her to release it, but she doesn’t, instead her fingers continue to wave, weaving her powers into a bigger orb that spins faster and faster.

He checks the measurements streaming through his mind and frowns, the display reporting an error. It is only at the subtle dip of her hand that he figures out the problem, “Wanda wai—” she doesn’t hear him soon enough and she flicks her wrist, the orb soaring through the air and exploding upon contact with a can of tomato soup that never stood a chance. The shockwave of the hit throws the table across the gym, the viscous soup coating the floor looking more like blood than lunch and several new holes have been created in the wall from the weights. Vision rushes to Wanda’s side, “Are you okay?”

Shock pulls her jaw down, eyes wide and hands clasped into fists at her thighs. “That was fucking awesome.”

“I—” he follows her gaze to the destruction, not certain awesome is the best term, it was remarkable, for sure, but he’s going to have to explain how this happened to Natasha and Steve and Tony, a meeting he is not thrilled about. His worry is eradicated when she laughs because it’s the freest sound he’s ever heard from her, effervescent and untamed, her body shaking so much she leans against his shoulder for support. “It was amazing.”

“There’s soup everywhere!”

“Yes,” her reaction is infectious, his own lungs beginning to spasm as light huffs intersperse his response, “that was an oversight on my behalf.”

“At least it you didn't grab something like corn.”

The image of hundreds of kernels littering the ground is a much worse reality. “This is true.”

Wanda straightens her spine, removing her touch from him, and turns with a smile that might almost be described as wicked. “Can we do it again?”

A survey of the damage forces him to reassess his strategy. “Yes, though I believe we need to be more methodical.”

Together they pick up the table, Vision arranging the weights on it while Wanda uses her powers and a mop to remove the soup from the ground. “So, what’s the plan?”

“I believe we should experiment with how much pressure you build up to determine the amount needed to effectively deal with the target without destroying it.”

For the next hour they do just that, Vision reading the indices and informing Wanda when to release her orb. They start small, and work until finding the most efficient amount per each weight. Once they’ve done this, he stops informing her of when to attack, instead allowing her to determine the feel of it in her hands, since he cannot constantly assess her during a mission. It’s after she’s successfully sent the heaviest weight flying an acceptable and not destructive distance that they move on to the punching bags, which are more analogous to the foes they face. With each target she grows more confident, the power coalescing faster and faster until she can attack within seconds.

During their (well her) water break, Wanda suggests the next step, one he hadn’t yet conceptualized since he did not (foolishly, admittedly) anticipate her being so proficient after a half day. “You know, in the video we watched the prey was moving, so I don't think I'm one with the pistol shrimp yet since we've just used immobile targets....”

"Oh, well, I can find some of the mechanized bullseyes from the supply closet."

This doesn't seem to be what she had in mind, the tips of her ponytail dancing as she clarifies, "Those never move like the actual people we face on missions."

A true statement and one dripping with suggestion that is driven home by her pointed stare at him. It takes Vision 1.5 seconds longer than it should to fully grasp the implication. “Are you asking me to be your soup can?”

“Yes.” Her face grows serious other than the flicker of red in her eyes, “Vision, will you be my soup can?”

He’s not sure why the question releases a torrent of heat in his cheeks, a reaction he will need to further parse out at a later time. “I suppose since you asked so nicely, I have no reason not acquiesce.”

“Don’t worry,” she pats his arm as he walks past, an action she’s never done before, “I’ll be gentle.”

Vision has to suppress the way her actions and the glimmer in her eye make him feel unsteady, keep his voice calm and unaffected as he quips back, “I believe I am somewhat more formidable than Campbell’s.”

“We’ll see.”

He stands twenty feet from her, the optimal distance they decided on during the prior phase of her training. “I will maintain my normal density for this.” Wanda sends him a thumbs up and he activates the program, recording the accelerate spike in both the broadband noise and subharmonic index, sending her a wave when he believes it should have some effect. The orb crashes into his body, the shockwave of it bursting flutters his cape, but nothing else occurs. “Try again.” And she does, fifteen times and yet she can’t seem to send him farther than a centimeter back. “Perhaps try using both hands to form the orb?” He has no basis for the suggestion, but he hypothesizes that each of her hands serves as an independent source, using both might double the impact.

Wanda’s feet spread a bit farther apart as her arms wave through the air, the orb oscillating between her palms reaching the highest threshold of his measurement system in a matter of seconds. The power is released before he tells her, not to any detriment, the burst of scarlet against his chest sending his sympathetic system into a frenzy, his body desperate to increase its density but he resists, instead allowing her to throw him back into the wall.

“Oh shit!” Footfalls echo around the gym, the noise bouncing too fast for him to pinpoint her location until her hands wrap around his biceps, worry streaming from her fingers, “Vizh, you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?”

Her right hand leaves his body and hovers in front of his face, fingers bending and straightening as his eyes adjust. “You are switching between two and three fingers.”

“Can’t even trick you after that.”

Vision smirks at the despondency in her response, sitting up slowly while running a quick system check. “Wanda,” she meets his eyes, “that was incredible.” The last stray wisp of concern leaves her face, replaced by a proud grin. “Shall we try it again, only I will fly this time?”

“Only if you’re okay.”

“I am fine.”

Despite his assurance, Wanda still offers her his hand, helping him stand before returning to her position in the gym. It’s at this point that Natasha comes in, a wave towards them that states she’s merely here to watch. Wanda’s fingers flex at the added attention, still overcoming her self-consciousness of being scrutinized by the former spy during training. Vision takes a moment to approach Wanda, standing far enough away to not encroach in her personal space, but close enough that she can hear his slightly lower voice. “Pay no mind to Natasha,” Wanda’s head tilts, in what may be annoyance or anger or some other emotion he has yet to determine in situations such as this, “I want you to go back to one handed throws. We want to train your accuracy first and then you can add more power.”

“Okay.”

“And Wanda.”

“Yeah?”

For some reason he is tempted to reach out to her, give her arm a comforting embrace, but he doesn’t, instead clenching his fingers into fists at his side. “Remember that no one else on the team can do what you can.”

His comment seems to latch onto the corners of her mouth, tugging it up into a brief smile. “Don’t go easy on me, okay?”

He reassures her with a heartfelt, “I will not.”

Vision lifts into the air, eyes scanning the gym for all accessible routes and protection. For the first attempts, he determines to remain relatively low to the ground, allowing her to fine tune her aim at a more accessible level before moving higher and requiring greater calculation on her behalf. He waits for her to form an orb before moving. Like with any other foe, he positions himself so that she is always in his view, even if it is just his periphery, but primarily he utilizes his proprioception to determine how to angle is body or bend his limbs to avoid her attacks. Even with her rapid-fire method, the closest she gets to a hit is a singe to his cape, her movements too predictable to him given the hours they have spent training together. Vision lands softly in front of her, assessing the stoop of her shoulders and the way her fingernails are digging into her palms, a small action he has come to associate with her frustration. “I believe we may be approaching this incorrectly.”

“How so?” The weightless ease of her voice is gone, replaced by the measured rhythm she uses during any other training, particularly after being beaten down a few rounds by Natasha.

No single animal utilizes just one attack pattern, nor do any of the Avengers, and yet that’s what they’ve been trying to do. “We have only been focusing on this one aspect of your powers, but for the task at hand, you need to utilize more than that.” Wanda waits for him to continue, arms crossing as her eyes slide to where Natasha is sitting. “You need to obfuscate first...”

Now her attention returns to him, “So squid power you?”

“I- yes, correct, distract me and then—”

Her frustrations flips into understanding, “Then I pistol shrimp you.”

"Correct.”

A shared nod cements the plan and he returns to the air, waiting, yet again, until scarlet oozes from her hands to begin flying. This time is very different, every direction he flies is teeming with scarlet clouds, each one obscuring his view and sending him into a new location, only to be met with another dense nebula. Vision decides to tempt fate by flying through one of the formations, having no other means of getting to the other side of the gym, it’s then that the cloud constricts around him, throwing off his senses long enough that he feels an impact on his side, hard enough that it stings yet soft enough that he remains steady in the air. Vision lands, hand rubbing out the branching tingle still spreading throughout his oblique. “That was much more effective.”

“It was. Mind if we try ag—”

Before she can finish, a new voice enters the gym, Steve’s authoritative, “Training starts in two minutes everyone,” setting an end to her suggestion, Wanda’s mouth closing and her shoulders shrugging, the look on her face one he thinks says Maybe later?

A week later he stands again with Steve and Sam, arms crossed and head tilted to the right, his eyes never leaving the varying patterns of scarlet through the plexiglass. This time her powers seem to dance, a careful choreography of wild undulation followed by disciplined restriction. “Holy shit,” Sam steps closer to the glass, hand rubbing his chin at the destruction being wrought within, “she’s even more terrifying now.”

Terror is still an odd descriptor, because what Vision sees before him is more beautiful than even the undisturbed dawn over the mountains, the memory of her powers erupting in tingles along his skin, a fascinating texture he now associates with power and marvel.

“What exactly did you two work on?” Steve only watched some of their additional trainings, never interceding, something he tends to do when the more fantastical powers are at play.

Vision doesn’t pull his gaze from Wanda as he answers, “Obfuscation and cavitation.”

“Not really helpful, man.” Sam, like Wanda, will always tell him if he is being too dense, though never as nicely, but never rudely either.

The other way Vision can think to explain it likely won’t help them either, but it is how Wanda describes it to him as she eats lunch after their trainings, hair dripping with sweat, hands shaking from her hard work, and her smile radiant, so he determines it cannot be worse, “She has become one with the squid and the shrimp.”

“Okay then,” Sam’s two words last for four seconds, his confusion palpable, but Vision doesn’t amend the statement, deciding to let Wanda explain it to them later, allowing Vision to become engrossed in the fascinatingly breathtaking display in front of them.

#scarlet vision #wanda maximoff #vision #the vision #thescarletvisionnetwork #mcu #pre-relationship #flirtatious training #mine

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fishblr-blog · 5 years

Text

New Aquarium Checklist

Today I’m going to be explaining the things you need and why you need them when you want to get into the hobby! This is a very long post so get ready for lots of words!

Money

Before you do anything, the first thing you need to make sure you have enough of is money. You can get an aquarium fully set up for as little or as much money as you are willing to spend, but that doesn’t mean your set up will be successful or more importantly, good for the fish. Spending money on the right supplies will save you from spending the money on something cheap that will stop working and cost you, even more, having to replace it or ideally, update with something less likely to fail you.

Expect to pay at least 100$ for a small aquarium, after buying all you need to set things up and stock the tank. If that’s too rich for your blood, I’d suggest a nano tank and a marimo ball. Betta fish should never be in nano tanks. The smallest you should keep them in is 2.5 gallons, 5 is vastly better.

A Place for the Aquarium to Live

For nano aquariums, it should be easy enough to locate a spot to place them and they’re light enough that you don’t have to worry about them destroying whatever you’ve placed it on.

However the larger the aquarium, the harder to find a spot for it and the harder it is to find something that can support its weight. A 20-gallon tank (which is considered small in the hobby) can weigh up to and over 200 pounds once you add in the water, substrate, fish, and decorations. Things only get heavier from here on out.

Once you hit 10 gallons I suggest getting specially made aquarium stands, which can cost you as much as the tank! You can sometimes get them as a packaged deal for a great price. I suggest checking Facebook, Craigslist, Letgo and other kinds of services for used aquarium stands, often, people are trying to sell the tank along with it too, be wary of used aquariums though as you can’t know what has been put in them. The risk of dangerous chemicals being used on them isn’t worth the money saved on getting a used one unless you trust the previous owner.

Do NOT just assume whatever surface you are putting a 10+ gallon aquarium on will support its weight. Trying to clean up the mess of a broken aquarium is an absolute nightmare. Not just for all the debris but chances are your fish won't survive the experience, even if you’re standing there when it happens.

Time

Aquariums aren’t something you can just set and forget, even if you’re doing a nano aquarium that just has a marimo ball, it will still require your time. Aquariums usually require weekly water changes (about 25%+ of the water), monthly filter maintenance, daily feeding, gravel vacuuming, etc. When you’ve got the aquarium set up it’s really not that much work, but you can’t just neglect it, or your fish will die.

Also, take into consideration the lifespan of the fish. Some fish can live for years... even decades. Make certain you’re on board with this before getting a longer-lived species, if you want to see how you take to the hobby start with a shorter-lived species, such as livebearers (Guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies).

Aquarium

This one seems obvious, no aquarium, not fish! But it’s not as easy as you might think. There are 3 kinds of materials used for aquariums, plastic, glass, and acrylic, each with their benefits and drawbacks (or in the case of plastic, mostly negatives). For those new to the aquarium hobby, I suggest glass aquariums. Acrylic is both very expensive and not as easy to come by (the big box stores rarely have these at all). I’ll go into more detail in another post about the choices and which is best depending on your commitment and desires.

Filter

No filter? No aquarium. You can not do a setup without a filter, even in my plant only tank I still have a nano filter. The only thing you can get away with not having a filter is a marimo nano tank, even then you need to agitate the water often to move the moss ball around.

Filters are tied at the top for one of the most important things you need to keep livestock. It isn’t something you should cut corners on and it’s always better to over filter than under filter (with consideration to water flow... you don’t want to put a fast-moving current in a small betta tank).

There are a variety of filters you can use, sponge, internal, canister, HOB (hang on the back), etc. Each one has its uses depending on your set up. Do your research into the kind of filter you’ll need based on the size of your aquarium, as that’s the most important thing to consider. I’ll be writing an in-depth post about the different kinds of filters and the setups they work for.

Heater

Growing up I never once heard about an aquarium heater but they are a vital part of keeping your fish healthy and happy. Freshwater fish are almost exclusively tropical and require water that is warmer than the typical house’s ambient temperature. Depending on the area you live in and the seasons the fluctuation in water temperature can straight up kill fish. Even here in Phoenix, Arizona the change in daytime temp to nighttime temp can be drastic, especially if the tank is near a window. This is non-negotiable, if you have livestock in your tank, you have to have a heater.

Substrate

While you can have a bare-floor tank (quarantine tanks usually work best with bare tanks) there are a variety of reasons why you should have substrate. The biggest one is they are great at housing beneficial bacteria! If you do a bare-floor aquarium and do a big water change and change the filter at the same time you’ve basically just killed all your beneficial bacteria. Why do you need bacteria? It helps break down bad chemicals, without them, your ammonia levels will spike and kill your fish. You’ll notice that’s a common theme of this list, when we bring dogs and cats into our home our environment is already tailored to their basic needs, but with fish, you need to create an entire ecosystem for them to live in.

There are different kinds of substrates, sand, gravel of different sizes and substrate designed specifically for plants. If you want to do a live plant aquarium you’ll need to spring for a lot pricer special substrate, but it’ll help keep your plants happy and healthy. This kind of substrate is also great for shrimp! I’ll make a substrate post to explain the different kinds and the benefits of them!

Live Bacteria/Starter Bacteria

When you first set up a tank you need to cycle it. Dumping water in a tank, even if you have everything else set up fine, even if you dechlorinate water... without beneficial bacteria your tank isn’t ready for fish yet. Some (not good sources) say you only need to cycle for ‘24 hours’ this is a complete NO. You should cycle for at least a week, and to do that you’ll be adding a liquid starter bacteria to your tank daily (smaller tanks it’s usually just one cap of the stuff). You’ll also want to get a large bottle of it (Unless you have a nano tank) as you’ll be using it even after your tank is cycled and set up.

Water Test Kit

This one is ‘technically’ optional. Many places will offer free water checks (Petco and Petsmart offer them for free, local aquarium specialty stores will usually do the first one free then a small fee for each subsequent test). You could just take advantage of these free water checks but I suggest if you’re really interested in taking the best care of your fish you should get a water test kit and test the water regularly. You can also get test strips! They are not as accurate as the test kits are so shouldn’t be the only thing you are relying on. In my experience, Petsmart uses the test strips and local stores use the kits, the local stores can also give you better advice for what the water test results mean and how to adjust your parameters.

Decorations

Another ‘technically optional’. While you could keep a tank naked save for the bare essentials (filter, heater, tank, hood, and light)... that... isn’t what I would call an ideal set up. Decorations not only are visually appealing to use they are important to your fish as well! Many fish are shy and prefer to have hiding spots, they can grow bored without an environment to navigate. Territorial fish need something to demarcate their territory or they’ll become very stressed and aggressive.

Fish don’t really care about what color the decorations are or if they’re plastic, so don’t feel the pressure to get the really pricey decorations. While live plants have a lot of benefits they require their own focus and parameters and can get really complicated. Just make sure your decorations are fish safe. Never add wood to your tank without boiling and soaking it, fresh wood is never something you should put in your tank, even wood sold specifically for aquariums needs to be soaked to leech the tannins out. Tannins will turn your water brown/amber and make it murky which can work for a brackish aquarium but will likely not be appealing to a freshwater set up. Wood can also change the PH of your water. Like I said, plastic decorations don’t require any extra work other than a quick rinse off before adding them to the tank (never use soaps!), the natural materials take extra effort and thought.

Fish

This is so far down the list because you need to focus so much on everything above long before you get the fish. The most important thing to consider is the fish you want. A lot of fish sold at pets stores can grow to truly monstrous sizes (I have seen juvenile Silver Arowana sold at Petsmart! They grow to 3 feet long, sometimes more!) so you can’t just walk into the store and buy whatever strikes your fancy. The majority of the fish for sale are juveniles and the true sizes of them are rarely accurately listed, (the Silver Arowana sign at Petsmart claimed they only got 12 inches long) if they’re listed at all.

First consider the size of the tank you’re comfortable buying, as stated above getting a small setup (10-20 gallon tank) you’re looking at about 100$, if not more just for the base setup (My 20-gallon setup cost about 200$ because I use live plants and natural materials, it could have been half as much if I had taken it in another direction). Once you’ve picked out a tank size only then can you consider the kinds of fish you can put in it. The smaller the tank, the fewer the fish you can add to it and the smaller the fish must be. So turn your eyes away from the bigger fish unless you’re willing to invest in a tank that will fit them at their adult sizes. It’s about 1 inch of fish per gallon, and any other livestock you add count as well. Shrimp would be about .5 gallon per shrimp (as they have a lower load), snails also could towards the bio-load of the tank which is why getting an infestation can be dangerous for your tank.

Fish Food

Another obvious one but this is more complicated than you think! There is a lot of cheap and poorly made fish food available on the market. I don’t suggest ever buying it from the grocery store unless its an emergency and you plan on replacing it with something better very very soon. Different fish have different requirements, some are strictly carnivores, others omnivores, some herbivores. Feeding them the wrong thing can lead to starvation, malnutrition, constipation and general failure to thrive.

Always read the ingredient list, some foods contain copper sulfate which is a very dangerous chemical to any invertebrates (snails/shrimp). I once lost a beloved rabbit snail because I failed to read the full ingredient list of the algae wafers I got for the tank. It can also be toxic to fish in high doses. I’d suggest just avoiding any foods that list copper sulfate at all to be on the safe side.

Hood/Lid

You can go without a hood or a lid... however, there are very good reasons to make sure you have a good tank cover. Water evaporates and you’ll have to add water between water changes, which is tedious and can mess with the parameters of your water. Higher on the list of importance is the fact that some fish are jumpers. They will leap right out of the water! Betta fish are well known for this, the Silver Arowana I mentioned above is so notorious for this that even very experienced keepers have lost full grown ones to a hard leap, even with a secured lid.

If you have pets (cats especially) you may end up finding them pawing at the water, falling in or just trying to catch the fish. I say: better safe than sorry!

If you’re willing to keep on top of the water levels, have no pets that can get into the tank, a rimless acrylic tank without a lid does look amazing.

Lights

This is another one that can be as complicated or easy as you want it to be. If you have a very well lit area for the tank you could potentially get away without a dedicated light. You could even just have a hanging pendant light that is bright enough to illuminate the tank and that’s fine!

It gets more complicated if you want to do a planted tank, as I said in decorations, live plants require extra work and this is one of those things that will add to their time and cost. Live plants require a specific spectrum to grow properly. Some can survive with basic lights but if you want to really get a planted tank going you need to get full spectrum lights and full spectrum LED lights can be very expensive (for my 20 gallons I was looking at 60+ dollars).

LED lights take less energy to run, which is great in the long run and they last a very long time. Fluorescent bulbs are cheaper and readily available (hardware stores may even have the size you need!) but will need to be changed more often and it’s vital that you don’t let any of the moisture hits them.

And that’s all the things you need to consider when buying an aquarium and setting it up! There are other things you’ll need but aren’t as vital as what’s listed above. A small tank you could just use a soft toothbrush to clean algae off and you could just siphon the water out with a cup for water changes. Bigger tanks though will require gravel vacs and dedicated algae scrubbers (you could use a soft sponge like the ones sold at the grocery store but don’t use the scrubbing side!).

Here is a link to a PDF you can print out to check off what you have and still need!

#fishblr #fish #aquarium #freshwater aquarium #aquarium tips #freshwater fish

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a-singleboat · 5 years

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So this is a lot but 1-100 on the get to me uncomfortably well asks? (I'm genuinely curious)

You asked for it...

note; some questions I answered no to so I crossed them off to save some space

What is your middle name?

Sabrina

How old are you?

When is your birthday?

November 30

What is your zodiac sign?

Sagittarius

What is your favorite color?

Currently, rose gold

What’s your lucky number?

Do you have any pets?

No, but I recently went to a cat cafe and I want a cat now.

Where are you from?

Massachusetts

How tall are you?

5’3

What shoe size are you?

7 or 7.5, depending on the brand

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

About 10 pairs, give or take. I’m not sure on the actual amount.

What was your last dream about?

My last dream was about me losing my crocs in an airport. I was devastated.

What talents do you have?

I can sing, dance, write, act, stage manage, and throw a flag pretty well.

Are you psychic in any way?

With my best friend, yes. We think the same way so it’s not that hard to know what she’s thinking.

Favorite song?

I can give you the last song I listened to which is Location because I don’t have a favorite song at the moment.

Favorite movie?

The Farewell, which is actually really good for a limited release film.

Who would be your ideal partner?

Celebrity wise? Zendaya

Do you want children?

Maybe one or two, but I feel like I’d end up adopting more than giving birth.

Do you want a church wedding?

Are you religious?

Have you ever been to the hospital?

Not outside of my birth and visits.

Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

No, but funny story. I kicked water onto a man when I was younger and I thought the cops were gonna come for me.

Have you ever met any celebrities?

No, but I saw Sam Smith at London Pride and Chris Evans in a chinese restaurant by where I live.

Baths or showers?

Showers

What color socks are you wearing?

I’m not wearing any, so flesh colored?

Have you ever been famous?

Not that I know of.

Would you like to be a big celebrity?

Maybe a celebrity in the sense that people have just heard my name. I’m fine living with a few hundred followers to read what I write for now.

What type of music do you like?

I like listening to more musicals and whatever genre Walk the Moon is.

Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Yes, once.

How many pillows do you sleep with?

What position do you usually sleep in?

Like on my stomach with one leg hitched up over a pillow.

How big is your house?

Average sized? It’s the smallest of the three on my street that was built with the exact same layout at the same time.

What do you typically have for breakfast?

I don’t really eat breakfast but I love honey bunches of oats.

Have you ever fired a gun?

Have you ever tried archery?

Yes

Favorite clean word?

Origin

Favorite swear word?

Can it be a string of swear words? Because I like “bitch ass hoe” a lot.

What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

2 days

Do you have any scars?

Yes, one on my right hand and two on my left leg.

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

I don’t think so, I never really think about if I do either.

Are you a good liar?

I like to think that I am

Are you a good judge of character?

I would say yes because the last two people I met, I felt like we’re horrible and I was right

Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Do you have a strong accent?

No, but I do have a Boston accent when I’m angry.

What is your favorite accent?

I love British accents or Australian

What is your personality type?

INFP-T

What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

$35 vintage jacket that I used in a musical and now wear whenever I can.

Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

Are you an innie or an outie?

innie

Left or right-handed?

Right

Are you scared of spiders?

Sometimes, if I’m not expecting them

Favorite food?

I have a lot of favorites.

Favorite foreign food?

Mayo walnut shrimp

Are you a clean or messy person?

I want to be clean but I know I’m messy.

Most used phrased?

bitch ass hoe

Most used word?

I actually don’t know, probably “I”

How long does it take for you to get ready?

like 15 minutes

Do you have much of an ego?

Not really, i don’t like boasting or seeming cocky

Do you suck or bite lollipops?

suck

Do you talk to yourself?

Yes

Do you sing to yourself?

Yes

Are you a good singer?

I like to think so and my friends also think so

Biggest Fear?

being left alone

Are you a gossip?

depends on the person

Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

i don’t really watch a lot of dramatic movies

Do you like long or short hair?

short on girls, long on guys but personally, short on myself

Can you name all 50 states of America?

Favorite school subject?

English

Extrovert or Introvert?

omnivert

Have you ever been scuba diving?

yes

What makes you nervous?

heights and ladybugs

Are you scared of the dark?

yes

Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

sometimes

Are you ticklish?

yes

Have you ever started a rumor?

Have you ever been in a position of authority?

yes

Have you ever drank underage?

technically no, it was legal where i was drinking

Have you ever done drugs?

Who was your first real crush?

I honestly don’t remember, the last time I had a crush was in middle school and I’m now a high school graduate.

How many piercings do you have?

i have my standard ear piercings

Can you roll your Rs?

How fast can you type?

depends, i can usually type faster if i have the idea running through my head

How fast can you run?

not very

What color is your hair?

currently pink, naturally a really dark brown

What color are your eyes?

dark brown

What are you allergic to?

strawberry banana kiwi smoothies and mosquitoes

Do you keep a journal?

i used to, i wrote a speech off one of my journal entries which you can find in my masterlist as a dear future me type of thing

What do your parents do?

my mum is a tax project manager and my dad is a mortgage/realtor

Do you like your age?

yeah, for the most part

What makes you angry?

when people try to argue with me when i know i have my facts down

Do you like your own name?

i used to not like it

Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

if you find my wattpad, any name i use for an OC is a possibility

Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

both? it really wouldn’t matter

What are your strengths?

i’m really good at staying on track when i have a mission

What are your weaknesses?

i’m really lazy

How did you get your name?

my dad was going to name me and it was originally going to be sabrina annabelle but my mum liked it the other way around

Were your ancestors royalty?

Do you have any scars?

I already answered this so I’ll say my most recent bruise is from my flag pole hitting my forearm.

Color of your bedspread?

pink, my choice

Color of your room?

also pink, not my choice

#anna answers #anon answered #get to know me #uncomfortably well

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yueqqi-main · 5 years

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MY FRIEND! Tell me about your OCs! ;D I know you're a creative person, an artist and I think a writer as well. I feel like you've got some really well developed OCs, and I'm so curious to meet them and get to know the kinds of worlds are alive in your mind!

:,) I have waaaay too many. For the Persona series alone, I have 20+ and that’s for a Persona 6 concept fic I have going on at Ao3. But I’ll share some of my favorites and separate them by fandom/original novel.

Bnha

Li Fong: smol angry, kinda moody boi (not that small actually, he’s like my height) who is an international student at U.A. from Hong Kong. He can generate portals with his mind (2 at a time, Portal-inspired unlike Kurogiri). He was traumatized (long story short, abusive family, he walked in on his mother’s dead body while his asshole father was throwing a rage fit, and “killed” his father in self-defense by reflecting his father’s knife attack with portals, but not really because his father is immortal technically), so he experiences a block with his quirk until he gets help. Depending on how the roleplay on Discord goes, he can become a villain or hero.

Otsuka Kyouma: tol beautiful boi with an ENFJ smile who graduated top of his class (#3) at U.A. before Mirio and crew. He’s really kind and compassionate, but won’t take people’s shit, also usually bright and smiley until he’s not. He’s a pro-hero who goes by Seraphim, which came from his quirk Hypnotic Illusion: he can induce a hypnotic field on people within his field of vision and make them see whatever he wants them to see, like a dream master of sorts. His favorite thing is to disguise himself as a biblical angel and terrorize the enemies out of spite or for information gathering.

He worked for Endeavor’s agency for the first few years of his hero career, and decided to transfer to the police force in Hosu City (where he meets and partners with ISTP’s jerk OC, Hirai Kaito, and becomes enamored with the detective) when his career didn’t go anywhere. Also, fun fact: Kyouma got his 6 eyes from his mother, who is a brightly colored hero who can do anything a mantis shrimp can, in water and on land.

David Li: aaaaa I hope no one who’s reading Our Hero Academia is reading this. David is an absolute villain who desires control and reaches from his goals to destroy criminal activity...with more criminal activity. He’s two-faced: to the public he projects a kind politician sort of air who backs the heroes and defends justice, but behind closed doors he is leading a network of organizations (triads, yakuza, villain groups, and of course, his branch of the government) with a terrifying power. He’s known as the Shinigami, a merciless contractor, but to those who are closest to him, he still retains compassion (even though it’s twisted sometimes) and tries to treat innocents right.

Before he became a politician, he was an immortal hero named Agent Sun who often worked in USA and China as an assassin-type, superhuman type figure. While he does have above-average strength, speed, and agility, most of that came from training rather than a quirk. Instead, his actual quirk is the ability to take and give time from anyone’s lifespan who he comes into direct contact with. He has at least 500 years added to his clock, so he’s been around since the 1st and 2nd generation of quirk-users, plus he was sort of rival-buddies with All For One.

[For the record, David is NOT Li Fong’s father. Still related though, just by an extra generation]

Persona

Shirogeki Haku: Oof, Haku is a bit of a mess. He’s a bisexual trans guy with a somewhat strained relationship with his traditional parents, living in Tokyo with his attorney cousin to study Computer Science with a focus in AI at Tokyo University. Furthermore, he has a constant self-depreciating attitude because of factors like his identity and his thalassemia, which has worsened since childhood so it gets in the way of a lot of things he used to love doing (soccer). He also lacks self-preservation because he thinks he’ll die early anyways, so he lowkey jumps at the chance to use the cognitive ‘verse to a) run away from his illness since he finds the effects of his anemia aren’t as strong there and b) to put his life on the line as the new group’s Wildcard, which is seriously concerning to criminal profiler!Akira after the Shadow Operatives, Investigation Team, and the Phantom Thieves team up with the new persona users.

His arcana is the Fool, but he also represents the Tower. His persona is Karna, a hero-turned-villain from the Mahabharata.

[I have so many plans for this character, it’s gonna be a wild ride in Icarus]

[And I’m leaving it at that for Persona; if I start talking about Zuni, Sora, or Help Wizard, I’m not going to stop so a separate ask, post, or DM about this particular fandom would be more wise lmao]

Water Runs Clear (original novel series)

Lan Honglian: LHL is the crown prince of Mei, until his father’s, Lan Jinyun’s, most trusted advisor, Chen Zhongming, betrays Mei, kills the royal family, and takes the throne for himself. CZM’s oldest son, Chen Yongyi, betrays his father by saving LHL and taking LHL to a far away village to be taken care of by a cultivator elder.

Anyhow, terrible childhood aside, LHL learns to be a cultivator under like five different masters through his pre-teen and late teen years, growing excessively bitter and obsessed with vengeance after seeing the mistreatment of the impoverished. In his early 20s, he joins the Kongxuan sect and starts leading different rebellion missions under the fake, super generic name, Jiang Mingxin (it’s so generic that if you knock down a store sign in the city, you’ll hit five of them), and in a mask+weimao that covers his features, since his green eyes and dark skin draw too much attention and CZM knows LHL is out there somewhere.

Chen Yongxue: CYX was LHL’s childhood best friend and sworn brother until CZM’s betrayal and the palace siege. While CYX is resentful of his father for the betrayal, the execution of Chen Yongyi for saving LHL, and his mother falling deathly ill after CZM’s first wife kills herself, CYX feels more helpless and just does what he could to limit the extents of the new policies under his father’s rule. CYX, in his early 20s, is an investigator for the royal guard whose purpose is to track down and capture rebels from the Kongxuan sect.

LHL and CYX’s friendship was crumbled after the betrayal and LHL eventually learning about CYX’s role as a head investigator, so LHL harbors a lot of bitterness toward his once-best-friend. CYX feels guilt and doesn’t blame LHL, even to the point of telling LHL that it’s his every right to kill him for the murder of his parents.

[LHL and CYX eventually make up once LHL realizes that CYX still cherished their sworn brotherhood.]

[Also they’re gay for each other.]

Yang Xinxuan: A Taoist priest from the Tiebing sect, the protag of another novel that happens almost concurrently with LHL’s story. YXY is a terrifyingly powerful cultivator, who is no-nonsense, serious, and, most of all, oblivious to romance. He once fought Death (literally, he fought the Heibai Wucheng) and got away, albeit injured. Later, another Death (Yanluo) becomes enamored with him, though every flirtation goes over his head.

YXY got his stubbornness and resolve from growing up orphaned and trained under top cultivators at his sect.

Zhang Xiaohen: A stony-faced, strict cultivator who was in Tiebing before she joined Kongxuan and later took LHL in. She rarely is angered, but the last few times she did get angered did not end well: after discovering her siblings were still alive, she impulsively went to confront the nobles that had taken them as servants and got thrown out of Tiebing for it.

Liu Shuangyu: Another cultivator in Kongxuan who is known for her musical cultivation technique. Working as a mercenary of sorts, she brings chaos pretty much everywhere until she decides to settle in Zhang Xiaohen’s village, but still acting as a bad influence for LHL.

[They are also in love and basically LHL’s moms.]

#answer #oc #bnha oc #persona series #persona oc #persona 5

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montereybayaquarium · 2 months

Text

It’s time for Zodiac signs as shrimp (and other close shrimp-like relatives)! 🦐✨

🌜☀️✨ Part 1 ✨ ☀️🌛

Sea the rest in 🌜☀️✨ Part 2! ✨ ☀️🌛

Thanks to our fronds @mbari-blog for the image of the transparent shrimp! (which is technically an amphipod, but shhhhhh)

#monterey bay aquarium #shromp week 2024 #we always sea stars when we look at shrimps but now you can know which stars SPECIFICALLY #shrimps are technically all water signs #petition to make all zodiac signs crustaceans #cancer is lonely up there #think of it as carcinization but for the stars #the sea is coming for you NASA

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sleepydragonqueen · 5 years

Text

Friendly advice to not get fish unless you're ready for a somewhat pricey hobby.

Not only that, but there's a lot of misinformation out there about aquarium fish. Make sure to do your research before purchasing any living thing (I'm including plants here tbh, but that's just me i know).

So if you're thinking about getting that betta in the cup because he looks sad, here are a few tips to get you started right:

Do research on the species you're considering BEFORE you make your purchase. 90% of aquarium keeping is getting things set up in advance so as to not stress the fish (or you) out

Never forget to cycle your tank first. There are two ways to do it: fish-in cycling, and fishless cycling. The fishless route is considered more humane, as fish are not exposed to toxic ammonia while the bacteria colony develops. It also increases your chances of fish surviving the move to a new tank.

Live plants may seem intimidating, but they are a got damn blessing. They help eat up extra ammonia and other toxic chemicals so your fish stay comfy, some species will help oxygenate your water which means you can fit more creatures (not necessarily fish, but we'll get to that), give a ton of hiding spots to help reduce aggression and injuries from tank mates, and just typically look nicer than fake plants, tho silk plants do have a nice, almost natural look to them.

Always under populate your tank at first. Even if you've cycled your tank before getting fish, there's still going to be a mini cycle when you add any number of fish. Depending on the bio-load of the fish, you'll want to start with just two or three and add a couple more each week until you have the desired stock.

Larger tanks are technically easier to maintain, but be prepared to make large water changes. We got a 20g long thinking changing 5 gallons a week wouldn't be much hassle. It's not a lot of work, but it gets tiring running back and forth between the kitchen sink and the tank. Our 10g standard is much easier, only needing a couple gallons changed a week.

The fewer fish you have to care for, the easier it will be to keep them healthy. We started off with a small school of guppies, a few amano shrimp, and a couple snails. We constantly had to check if one treatment for the fish was safe for the invertebrates and vise versa. Plus, it will make it easier to spot injury or disease.

Which brings me to my next tip, learn to recognize healthy stock when purchasing for your aquarium. It will save you a world of hurt, trust me. Helps to keep current stock healthy and saves you money amd work in the long run.

Always have a quarantine tank ready when adding new fish. Keep your new stock totally separate from your established aquarium for at least a week to make sure none of your new guys will bring in disease.

Acclimating is more than just sitting the bag in the water for temperature adjustment. This is the most common mistake I see new fish keepers make. Fish acclimate to temperature, yes, but also the ph level of the aquarium. One of the more common causes of death for new aquarium fish is ph shock. You want to add small amounts of tank water to the bag your new fish is in over 1-2 hours. You'll also want to drop the fish in with as little water from the pet store's tank as possible, to avoid contaminating your own tank with potential disease/parasites.

There's also no such thing as something that is totally self-maintaining. You will always need to do weekly water changes. Yes weekly. The once a month instructions you see on a lot of fish stuff is the bare minimum for a heavily planted, under populated tank.

And keep in mind, there are ALWAYS improvements to be made. If you get to a point where you feel you've learned everything there is to know on a subject and that you have all the answers, that's a sign you know basically nothing.

#aquariums #fish keeping #tips #aquarium keeping #fish

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paleorecipecookbook · 5 years

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Paleo Travel Snacks: How to Eat Healthy While You’re On the Go

Many of us following a Paleo lifestyle slide into a comfortable eating routine. Maybe you have perfected your meal prepping. Maybe you have a reliable rotation of favorite recipes. Maybe you eat have your basic breakfast down to a tasty science, switching up the veggies and protein as desired. When you’re in your own element and have total control over your food supply, it’s easier to stay on track. But what happens when you take a road trip or travel for your job? Take it from me, you’ve got this! I travel extensively, from book tours and conferences to vacations, so I know what it’s like to face this challenge of staying committed to this way of eating. But it’s doable—and I’ve gathered the best tips and tricks for staying Paleo while traveling, all in one place.

It can be hard to eat healthy while traveling. But with a little planning and flexibility, it is possible to stay Paleo on the road. Check out this article for my tips and recommendations on the best Paleo travel snacks. #paleo #healthylifestyle #chriskresser

Five Tips for Packing Paleo Travel Snacks

As you’re packing that suitcase, leave plenty of space for the snacks. Bringing your own food gives you the best control over the situation, so that you won’t find yourself hungry and cranky, tempted by a bright drive-through sign five hours into a long road trip.

1. If Possible, Bring a Cooler

Logistically, it’s definitely easier to pack a cooler for a road trip than for air travel, but however you’re hitting the road, being able to bring one will expand your eating options considerably. If you can bring a light-weight cooler—which you certainly can do if you’re traveling by car (or bus or train), there are loads of food possibilities:

Hard or soft-boiled eggs, perfect with cherry tomatoes and avocado

Thinly sliced leftover meats to pair with Paleo mustard or mayo

Lettuce wraps with leftover meats and veggies

Pumpkin hummus*

Full-fat yogurt or kefir (though not technically Paleo, some people tolerate dairy and incorporate it into their “Paleo template”)*

Cheese from grass-fed cows’ milk

Paleo “granola bars”

Raw veggies or fruit, like carrots, sugar snap peas, sliced bell peppers, and apples

“Dump ranch” dressing to dip veggies in*

Nut butters for dipping fruits (macadamia, almond, and hazelnut butters are best)*

Baba ganoush, but if you’re on the autoimmune protocol, you’ll want to skip this one because eggplant is a nightshade*

Fruit smoothie, with coconut milk, almond milk, yogurt, or kefir as a base*

A note on the foods starred with an asterisk: If you’re bringing these liquid or liquid-like foods through airport security, they will have to meet national Transportation Security Administration (TSA) restrictions—that means packed in clear containers and in amounts that are 3.4 ounces or less. (Check with your carrier for the latest TSA guidelines.) On top of that, bringing melting ice and cool packs can get a little tricky with the TSA.

Here is one workaround: Don’t use cool packs. Instead, use a freezer-grade resealable bag with ice to keep your food cool when you leave home, and bring some extra bags. Throw out the bag of ice at security, and then replenish the ice in a new bag at a food vendor in the airport. Most vendors will charge you for cups of ice, but it’s definitely worth it because you’ll have a cooler-full of Paleo snacks to satisfy your hunger. (And it’s worth pointing out that if you’re checking your bag, you can pack extra items that don’t require refrigeration, and just bring enough on the plane to get you through your flight!)

2. Try Paleo-Friendly Packaged Food

In general, I try to avoid packaged foods, which likely contain industrial seed oils, added sugars, excess sodium, preservatives, artificial colors, and other questionable ingredients. But, traveling can be an exception to this rule. I would rather have high-quality beef jerky and some dry-roasted nuts on hand than be forced to choose between fast-food restaurants after not eating for 12 hours. The key here is high quality. Learn how to read a nutrition label and ingredients list.

Sneaky names for gluten, sugar, soy, and more are hidden in ingredient lists. Don’t ever assume you’re in the clear with packaged food without first reading the label. I’ve seen added sugars lurking in places you’d never expect, like in canned kidney beans and feta cheese!

Some of my favorite packaged Paleo travel snacks include:

Grass-fed beef jerky

Prepared meats like salami, pepperoni, and coppa

Organic lunch meats, served with mustard

Smoked salmon (make sure it’s soy free)

Nuts and seeds (dry roasted or raw are best, as most manufacturers roast in industrial seed oils)

Olives to eat with nuts, cheese, meats, and pickles (watch out for artificial colorings)

Canned salmon or tuna (packed in water or oil)

Nori chips or sheets

Pork rinds

Siete “tortilla chips” made with cassava flour

Kale chips

Individual containers of plain yogurt, kefir, or nut milks

Freeze-dried fruit

90 percent cocoa dark chocolate

Coconut flakes (these are surprisingly satisfying and filling)

Energy bars are often considered Paleo because they only contain “Paleo” ingredients like dates, cashews, and egg whites, but I would only buy these in a pinch. This type of calorie-dense, semi-processed treat walks a fine line between real food and a dessert.

3. Go Plastic Free

Don’t put your grass-fed beef taco lettuce wraps into plastic storage containers! Plastics are among the worst environmental toxins. Even BPA-free plastics have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system. (1) Ditching the plastic wrap, bags, and containers also cuts back on waste.

My favorite containers for packing food to go are stainless steel LunchBots. Also check out reusable beeswax wrap, glass mason jars of all sizes, and Pyrex glass containers with lids.

4. Fuel Up before You Hit the Road (or Consider Fasting)

I deliberately eat a big meal at home before leaving for a trip. If the trip is half a day or less, this is often enough to tide me over until I reach my destination.

As an alternative to eating before you leave (or if you didn’t have time to prep any snacks), don’t be afraid to fast! Occasional fasting was common for our Paleo ancestors, and regular intermittent fasting has been linked to many health benefits, including weight loss and improved cardiac health. (2, 3, 4)

5. Shop Smart and Get Creative

Even if you’ve packed snacks and have a good meal before leaving, eating on the road is inevitable, especially for longer trips. Typical rest stops, gas stations, or convenience stores generally don’t have much to offer, but some might sell hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, or roasted nuts. Thanks to smartphones and GPS, it’s easy to search for other food options beyond the fast-food places that populate most interstate exits. But instead of searching for “restaurants near me,” type in “grocery store.”

It’s not even a contest—if a grocery store is near the exit, you’re much better off shopping there than at any fast-food chain. As a bonus, you’ll get in some light exercise walking around the store.

Not every exit will have a Whole Foods, but even an average grocery store will have some reasonable options, including the Paleo-friendly packaged foods I listed above. If you’re unable to find those, or you’re looking for something different, try one of these creative meals instead:

A rotisserie chicken (remove the skin since the seasoning may contain sugar)

A shrimp cocktail ring (just skip the cocktail sauce)

A raw vegetable or fruit platter (these can be pricey, but items are conveniently already washed and sliced)

Pre-washed sugar snap peas, green beans, or other veggies

Salad bar items that are Paleo friendly, including grilled chicken, veggies, and olives

How Eat Paleo in a New Place

When you’re away from home, don’t expect to wander into the nearest food establishment and find grass-fed steak and organic, locally grown grilled vegetables on the menu. When eating Paleo in a new place, planning is the key to success.

First, whenever possible, I book a hotel with a kitchen or at least a kitchenette in the room. That way, I can brew my own tea, keep my kombucha in the fridge, and save any delicious (but large-portioned) leftovers from a nice dinner.

Next, research nearby restaurants ahead of time. If I’m heading to a book signing in a new city, I always get great recommendations from social media. Or try searching for keywords like these:

Local

Foodie

Gluten-free

Grass-fed

Organic

Pasture-raised

For a group dinner, take the initiative and suggest a restaurant from your research. If you can’t choose the restaurant, visit the menu online and call the restaurant to inquire about special accommodations. If the menu is severely limited, eat a healthy snack before you go.

Here are some other tips for navigating a restaurant while staying Paleo:

Opt for grilled, steamed, or roasted meat, steamed or baked veggies, and a simple starch like potatoes or white rice.

Avoid sauces, which usually contain sugar, gluten, and/or soy.

When ordering a salad, request dressing on the side to avoid industrial seed oils. Try asking for olive oil and vinegar instead.

If you’re gluten intolerant, always ask if a dish has gluten. Restaurants notoriously have sneaky gluten additives, in spice blends or as thickeners in sauces.

Don’t be afraid to be “that person” who asks the server a million questions. Maybe if more people kept requesting the same menu adjustments, restaurants would better accommodate Paleo customers.

Remember: You Can’t Control Everything

Obsessing over every morsel of food during a long trip can be downright exhausting. In fact, I don’t think it’s healthy to be so rigid that there isn’t any wiggle room to try the world’s best beer when you’re in Belgium or authentic, freshly made pasta if you’re in Italy. Likewise, when your flight gets delayed five hours, it might be better to buy a chef salad or have a burger without the bun than end up grumpy, “hangry,” or light-headed.

Live by the 80/20 rule—80 percent of the time, adhere to the ideal Paleo diet, but the other 20 percent of the time, loosen up and eat whatever you want (or, if you’re stranded while traveling and starving, whatever options you have on hand).

More Holistic Health Travel Tips

Eating nutrient-dense, whole foods is just one aspect of healthy living. Don’t ignore other aspects of health while traveling:

Find time to move around. Walk around the airport terminal, do chair squats on long flights, and try some jumping jacks at car rest stops. Taking a long morning walk in your new location will familiarize you with the area and is especially beneficial for your circadian rhythm if you’re traveling to a different time zone.

Stay hydrated. When flying, it’s recommended that you drink a cup of water for every hour in the air.

Make sleep a priority. It’s important to maintain the same healthy habits you follow at home. If you normally go to bed at a certain time, try to stick to your established routine as much as possible.

Meditate, practice mindfulness, and find time to relax.

Now I’d like to hear from you. Do you have any other tips on how to eat Paleo while traveling? What are your favorite Paleo travel snacks? Let us know in the comments!

The post Paleo Travel Snacks: How to Eat Healthy While You’re On the Go appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com February 21, 2019 at 05:05PM

#paleo #recipe #food #delicious #healthy #yum #diet

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soloragoldsun · 6 years

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Freezerburn Week- Day 4: Double Date

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite pair of high schoolers!” Yang exclaimed, picking her sister up in a tight hug.

“Hrk! Hi, Yang!” Ruby muttered through gritted teeth, letting out a breath as she was put down.

“Oscar! C’mere, buddy!”

Oscar wisely braced himself before he was pulled into a crushing embrace that left his spine in questionable condition. He stumbled a bit as he was placed back on the ground, and Ruby gently held his shoulders until he got his bearings back. “Ow… Nice to see you again, Yang.”

“If you’re done breaking their poor backs,” Weiss said as she exited the apartment complex and walked over. “Perhaps, you can help with their luggage?”

“What luggage? They only brought a tiny suitcase each, plus a sleeping bag. Not everyone goes as crazy as you do when travelling,” Yang noted, pecking Weiss’s cheek before taking both suitcases out of the car.

“Actually, I also have a cooler in the trunk,” Oscar piped up.

“Ah, right. That’s the veggies for our hot pot party tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. I got eggplant, cabbage, squash, carrots, potatoes, and sprouts.”

“Sounds good, except for the sprouts,” Yang laughed. “But I fully expect you to devour those on your own, buddy.”

“Hey, sprouts are good if prepared right.”

Ruby was nodding. “Yeah, he kinda sold me on them.”

“Wait, what?” Yang gasped. “My sister is eating sprouts? What is this?!”

“If you cut them in half and fry them in bacon grease, they’re really good!” Ruby insisted.

Weiss frowned. “Doesn’t that take away the nutritional value?”

“Uh, no! No nutrients are zapped from the sprouts. Adding bacon doesn’t equal subtracting healthiness. Come on, Weiss. It’s basic math.” Ruby rolled her eyes.

Oscar snickered, giving his girlfriend a fond look before turning to Weiss. “Oh, is there a gas station nearby? We didn’t see one when we were pulling in.”

“It’s just down the road that way. We can stop there on the way to the butcher’s shop,” Weiss assured him. “For now, let’s get you two settled in.”

The four went up the stairs, and then up several more stairs until they reached the third floor of the complex, where Weiss unlocked the second door down the hallway and invited them in. The interior of the apartment was cozy and clean, with a futon taking up the living space, along with two small armchairs. A table bearing a large pot sat near the kitchen area, which was also in immaculate condition. Lights had been strung along the ceiling to make the place more colorful, and various odds and ends showing signs of Yang and Weiss’s college and fandom-related lives were scattered everywhere.

“Whoa!” Oscar’s eyes lit up as he put his sleeping bag on the ground, noticing a shelf of movies and games. “You have all the Studio Ghibli movies!” He stared at the DVDs. “Oh, Princess Kaguya. I haven’t seen that one yet.”

“Wait until you’re in the mood to bawl your eyes out,” Yang advised, shooting Weiss a glare. “I wasn’t sufficiently warned.”

“Consider it payback for introducing me to Grave of the Fireflies without telling me anything beforehand,” Weiss shot back.

“I really like Pom Poko,” Ruby piped up. “Though, everyone makes fun of it.”

“Most people see the giant tanuki balls, and don’t see anything else,” Yang said with a shrug.

“I don’t get that,” Oscar sighed. “I mean, it’s a bit weird, but it’s part of the lore surrounding tanuki in Japan, and there’s so much more to the movie than just that.”

The four continued to chat amicably as they unpacked Ruby and Oscar’s things. Then, talk went to plans for the weekend.

“So, we still need to get the meat and other stuff for tomorrow’s hot pot,” Weiss said. “And the butcher’s shop is closed on Sunday. We could walk around town a bit, do our shopping, then come back in time to get ready to go clubbing.”

Oscar’s eyes lit up. When planning his and Ruby’s visit to Yang and Weiss’s apartment, each of them had been asked what they wanted to do while there. Ruby, who had been jealous ever since Yang got a double-sided hot pot and hot plate for Christmas, begged to have a hot pot dinner. Oscar, whose social experiences were limited to pumpkin picking on his farm and the lame high school homecoming dances, wanted to go dancing in an actual college town.

“So, my age won’t be an issue?” he asked. While Ruby was eighteen and wouldn’t have any trouble getting into the clubs, he had only recently turned seventeen.

“Nah. There are some clubs that won’t let you in, but I did my homework,” Yang assured him. “There are enough clubs to last us several nights. You’ll just get two exes on your hand instead of one.”

“I can deal with that.”

The four went into town next. After filling Ruby’s car for the drive home on Monday morning, the group went to the butcher’s shop for beef, then the grocery store for shrimp and crab stick.

“I wish we could get more variety,” Weiss muttered.

“Hey, we’re on a college budget,” Yang reminded her. “This is pretty good, all things considered. Besides, most of our weekend money just went toward the soup ingredients.” They would probably be eating mostly potatoes until their next pay day, not that Ruby and Oscar would ever know that.

“Still worth it, though,” Weiss said, watching Ruby and Oscar with a smile. The two were looking at the large salmons on display, and Ruby was talking excitedly about how Taiyang would sometimes smoke salmon and other fish during the summer.

“Definitely.” Yang looped an arm around Weiss’s waist, hugging her briefly before calling to her sister.

As they walked to the checkout, she couldn’t help but notice how domestic this felt. Sure, she and Weiss had been living together since the beginning of their junior year, and they did nearly everything together from cleaning to shopping, but there was something special about this. Maybe it was the fact that they were technically preparing for their first real dinner party together, even if that party only included two more people.

She found herself imagining living in a nice house with Weiss post-graduation, having a huge holiday dinner with their combined families (minus Weiss’s asshole of a father, of course). Qrow and Winter were glaring lightning bolts at each other while Taiyang sat between them, masterfully keeping the peace. An older Whitley, who had managed to distance himself from his father by this point, was opening up to Ruby’s relentless kindness and even laughing a bit. Meanwhile, Yang was in the kitchen, preparing a kick-ass turkey while Weiss mixed drinks and the two kept smiling at each other over their shoulders. It was a pretty nice image.

Speaking of nice images, Weiss looked drop-dead gorgeous whenever she dressed up to go clubbing!

There was a handful of clothing items that Weiss had gathered since moving out of her father’s house that were reserved purely for casual, fun situations, and Yang loved it when she wore them. Not only did Weiss look amazing, but she always loosened up in a way she rarely ever did whenever she went to the clubs.

That night, the ensemble consisted of pale blue tights, a jean skirt that was shorter than anything she would have considered wearing a few years ago, a darker blue tank top, and a short jean jacket that had come with the skirt. She also wore a few silver bangles, and a blue choker Ruby had given her for her birthday.

Yang had decided to go with her favorite black short-shorts, a ripped yellow tee-shirt worn over a black tank, and black fingerless gloves with studs on the back.

Ruby had gone with her usual look: black tights, red and black skirt, and one of her rose-printed tee-shirts, though she did have a spiked wrist cuff that had clearly come from Spencer’s.

Oscar was wearing a black tee with a giant skull on it (also obviously from Spencer’s) with gray cargo shorts that bore a single silver chain going from one pocket to the other. He had also tied an orange bandana around his neck and was wearing a spiked wrist cuff that matched Ruby’s. He looked freaking adorable, and Yang had to bite her lip in order to keep from saying so.

The first club was a goth place that let people in for free on Saturdays as long as they were dressed the part. Thankfully, they were pretty lax and considered the spiked cuffs, studded gloves, and choker to be goth enough. Oscar and Ruby both got stamped, and they hurried in.

Oscar openly gaped at the neon-lit bar, the people stumbling about, and the loud bass music coming from the nearby dance area. “Okay, this is nothing like homecoming.”

Yang ruffled his hair. “Welcome to adult partying, kiddo. Have fun. Just make sure to keep hydrated.”

“And stay together at all times,” Weiss added firmly. “Our phones are on, so find us if you need anything, or if you want to leave.”

“Got it,” Ruby held up her phone with a grin.

The four stayed together for a half hour of dancing, during which time Yang and Weiss learned that Ruby and Oscar could absolutely not dance to save their lives. Then again, neither could most of the people there.

Eventually, Yang and Weiss retired to the bar while Ruby and Oscar got a quick drink of water before going back to dancing. Yang ordered a rum and coke while Weiss got a Dirty Shirly.

After taking a sip, Yang cast Weiss a sidewise smile. “Hey, gorgeous. You come here often, or am I just lucky?”

Weiss smirked, immediately going into character. “I come here on occasion, though I’m not sure what you mean by ‘lucky.’” She sipped her drink, giving Yang a coy glance.

“Getting a look at those beautiful eyes, of course,” Yang said with a dashing grin.

Weiss suppressed a giggle, though her cheeks turned a definite shade of pink. “Are you sure it’s my eyes you’re looking at?” she asked in an overly-prim voice.

“Among other things, yeah,” Yang answered smoothly. She spun around on her stool and rested her elbow on the bar. She cocked her head, her dazzling grin still in place. “What about you? See anything you like?”

Weiss made a show of eying Yang up and down, resting her chin on her hand as she did so. “Hm. Perhaps. What would it matter if I did?”

Yang leaned closer, her lavender eyes glinting conspiratorially. “Well, I got a pretty sweet pad not far from here. Perfect for entertaining a lovely lady, such as yourself. What do you say? Wanna get out of here?”

Unable to hold it together any longer, Weiss burst out laughing. Yang quickly followed, the two dissolving into mirth, putting their drinks down to keep from spilling.

“It’s no wonder I’m your first girlfriend,” Weiss gasped. “You are awful at flirting!”

“Hey! I am freaking amazing, and you know it!” Yang huffed. “And Blake was my girlfriend in high school for, like, a month! That counts!”

“Oh, please.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “‘Getting a look at those beautiful eyes?’ That is the corniest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Shut up, you love it!” Yang elbowed Weiss gently, snickering as she took a sip of her rum and coke, which was starting to go flat. She poured more coke into it before gulping it down.

It was nice to relax and go drinking, especially now that their exams were over. As a rule, due to the history of alcoholism in both of their families, they didn’t keep booze in the house. They only drank in social situations, and only got drunk at parties and weddings. So far, they were doing pretty well. Neither one planned on getting overly drunk while they had Ruby and Oscar to mind, of course.

“I may take you up on your offer,” Weiss said as she finished her own drink. “Once our guests go home.” She winked before putting enough money for both of their drinks on the bar, grabbing Yang’s hand, and leading her back toward the dance floor.

They were making their way to Ruby and Oscar, when they saw someone else get there first. It was a college-aged boy who was clearly inebriated, and who started dancing a little too obscenely and a little too close to Ruby. Oscar quickly put himself between the larger boy and his girlfriend, and the two moved to a different part of the dance floor. When the college boy tried to follow, he found himself blocked by Yang and Weiss.

“Aren’t those kids a bit young for you?” Yang growled, her eyes taking on a reddish tinge.

“And no, that wasn’t an offer from us,” Weiss clarified. “Shoo,” she said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

The guy took a step forward, paused, glanced at Yang’s clenched fists and obvious muscles, and thought better of it. With a shrug, he walked off, stumbling a bit on his way back to the bar.

Yang turned to Ruby and Oscar, who were gazing at her and Weiss like they were the coolest people on the planet. “And now you’ve both had your first Club Creep,” she said. “In the future, if Weiss or I aren’t around, look for the nearest bartender or bouncer. Got it?”

“Oh, we know!” Oscar insisted. “We were just about to go to the bar when you two showed up.”

Ruby shrugged. “I could’ve taken him. I’ve been taking self-defense classes. My hand-to-hand is getting pretty good.”

“Hopefully, you won’t ever have to use it.” Yang ruffled her sister’s hair affectionately. “So, want to hit another place? There’s a club nearby that’s having a Gay Night as well as a drag show in another half hour.”

“Yeah!” Oscar said eagerly.

“Let’s go!” Ruby insisted.

The four ended up visiting three clubs overall before Weiss noticed Oscar stumbling with exhaustion and called it a night. Even though both she and Yang were fairly tipsy by this point, they ended up supporting Ruby and Oscar during most of the walk home. Everyone was so tired, they fell asleep almost immediately, Ruby on the futon, Oscar on top of his sleeping bag, and Yang and Weiss in their shared bed.

They were slow to wake up the next day, with Weiss waking up first at noon and showering immediately. Next came Oscar, then Ruby, and finally Yang. Once everyone was awake, they had a light late breakfast at Weiss’s favorite coffee shop. Though they were hungry, they carefully avoided eating too much in anticipation for the hot pot meal that night.

Back at the apartment, Weiss set to work preparing two hot pot broths, one spicy, one not. Ruby openly gaped at her.

“I can’t believe it!” she gasped. “The person who set our oven on fire is being allowed to cook without supervision!”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “That was one time, and it happened several years ago,” she huffed. “I’ve gotten better since then.”

“If there aren’t any fires, I’ll believe you.” Ruby’s nose wrinkled as she watched Weiss sauté the peppers and spices. “That’s a lot of spice.” She also detected a burning aroma from where Yang was prepping a pot of hot oil.

“Don’t worry, sis. That’s why the pot is two-sided. And we got sesame sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil for dipping.” Yang took a taste of the hot oil, grinning as her tongue was immediately numbed. “Perfect!”

“I can chop up the vegetables, if you want,” Oscar offered.

“Go for it,” Yang said. “Ruby, can you get the meat?”

Ruby obeyed, looking skeptically at the plate of shrimp. “Are you sure we don’t peel it before cooking?”

“Completely,” Weiss assured her. “You cook them in the soup, suck out the head, then peel the rest before dipping.”

Yang snickered. “Yeah, sis. That’ll be the only head you ever suck, amirite?”

Ruby groaned. “Again, with the ace jokes!” She elbowed her sister and smiled to show that she didn’t actually mind.

Dinner was a long and very fun affair, and there was more than enough food to go around. Yang, of course, ate a good amount of beef, as well as the eggplant. Weiss enjoyed the potatoes and mussels. Ruby went for the beef, as well as many of the vegetables. Oscar mostly ate the vegetables and shrimp. He and Ruby decimated the sprouts. Eventually, Yang relented and tried one. After cooking it in the spicy broth and dipping it in some sesame sauce, she begrudgingly admitted that it tasted pretty good.

After cleaning up, the four were pleasantly drowsy, but not ready to go to sleep just yet. So, Yang broke out the sodas and popcorn and put in Spirited Away. She and Weiss made it to the end, while Ruby and Oscar fell asleep halfway through. Carefully, the older girls got up and rearranged the two kids so that they were lying fully on the futon. Ruby mumbled something in her sleep and cuddled closer to Oscar, who smiled slightly at whatever he was dreaming about.

Yang had to cover her mouth to keep from squealing. “They are so adorable! I can’t!”

Weiss smiled fondly. “They certainly are.” She pulled the blanket over the two, turned off the television, and took their copy of Castle in the Sky from the shelf. “Want to continue this in our room?”

Yang grinned. “Definitely!”

The two cuddled together in their bed, Weiss’s laptop propped up on both of their laps as they started the movie. Weiss nuzzled against Yang’s shoulder, smiling as Yang kissed the top of her head and hugged her closer with one arm. A half hour later, she was sound asleep.

Yang carefully folded the laptop and placed it to the side before maneuvering herself and Weiss into a lying-down position. Pulling her girlfriend close, she shut her eyes and let out a contented sigh. Normally, she’d entertain a sappy thought or two concerning her girlfriend, her sister, Oscar, or a combination of the above factors, but she fell asleep too quickly for even that.

I thought I’d give you a nice side of Rose Garden with your @freezerburn-week entry today! I seriously can’t get enough of my adorable babies!

If you like what you see, feel free to check out my Fanfiction page and my Patreon.

Peace out!

#rwby #freezerburnweek #yang xiao long #weiss schnee #freezerburn #day 4 #double date #rose garden #ruby rose #oscar pine #modern au

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whereisfootball · 6 years

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“Vietnam - Chiến Thắng!”: Finding the Beautiful Game in Southeast Asia by Alex Kocher

It was 6:30 p.m., and we were more than an hour and a half late.

“Rush hour here is bad, so give yourself some extra time to get to the stadium.” That was the advice I received from Bill’s email the day prior. My friends and I got into an Uber and left Hanoi’s Old Quarter with what we thought would be an ample buffer. Little did we know we’d spend the next two hours stuffed into a tiny car slogging our way through the crowded streets of Vietnam’s capital city.

It was October and northern Vietnam was heading into the dry season, but you wouldn’t have known it. The rain poured and the streets flooded with inches of standing water and thousands of plastic poncho-covered motorists. The entire city was a mess of motorbikes weaving between and around each other, horns constantly honking. There were seemingly no rules of the road. I was bewildered by the scene and wondered how anyone got anywhere. Anxiously, I checked the time on my phone and followed our glacial pace on my map. I may not always be the most punctual person, but an hour and a half late is terrible and I felt awful about it.

Weeks before we had arrived in Vietnam, I sent a hopeful email to Bill George after finding his podcast on Vietnamese soccer. I wanted to go to a match while traveling around the country and thought who better to see it with than the author of Vietfootball.com. Bill was immediately keen on the idea and after a few exchanges, we made plans. It was the international break and Vietnam was scheduled to play host to Cambodia in a qualification match for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

Setting a new personal record for tardiness, I had to resign myself to our reality: We would arrive at the stadium only when the chaos would allow. I was already writing an apology email, accepting that we might not meet Bill, who had every right to be fed up and walk into the stadium by himself or go home cursing me for wasting his time.

Fortune would have it, though, we would meet. Finally, out of the car, I swiftly scanned the expansive beer garden and found a man who vaguely resembled Bill’s Twitter profile photo and who was about to pay and leave.

“Bill?” He looked up from his near-empty glass. “Alex?” Five minutes longer in traffic and we likely wouldn’t have met. That saved apology email would have found its way to his inbox as soon as I found wifi.

Despite our delays, we still had a few minutes until kickoff, so I bought a round of bia hoi. The five of us quickly got to know each other over that first beer.

Bill is from England and has lived in Hanoi for since 2011. Working in English education, he staffs classrooms with teachers from England, Australia and the United States. Bill grew up on football and is the sole author of Vietfootball.com. He started writing about Vietnamese soccer in 2013. Searching for a project to fill his time in his newly adopted home, Bill decided that he would attend every Hanoi FC away match that year. As he tells me about the beginnings of his part-time writing career, Bill proudly touts that he was often the only away fan.

Today, though, he was home in Hanoi, at a stadium he knew quite well. Vietnam are in the final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Though undefeated, Vietnam have drawn twice and won only once. Sitting three points back from group leaders, Jordan, and with two games left, Vietnam still have it all to play for.

Outside the stadium we saw a vendor selling red head bands with yellow writing: “Vietnam Chiến Thắng!” My girlfriend bought one for 10,000 dong (roughly 50 cents) and donned it for the home team.

Pushing past the light security and through the gate, we made our way into the stadium. Inside, the cement floors were wet and the walls were without banners, photographs of star players or any of the trappings we expect at large venues in the U.S. There was no team store filled with merchandise and the concessions were folding tables stacked with beer cans and shrimp chips.

The field was incredibly saturated, but the level of play was high. Cambodia in blue, Vietnam in the unmistakable red. As the match began, Bill and I chatted away about all things Vietnamese football.

Professional football in reunified Vietnam started in the 1980s after a long era of war with imperial powers France and the United States, and several years of civil war. In 1989, the country founded the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and two years later played its first international match — a 2-2 draw against the Philippines. For Vietnam, it was their first international match in 18 years.

On this day, the stadium was far from sold out. Fans filled less than half of its 40,192 seats, many of whom retreated to covered sections to be out of the monsoon. Exposed to the elements in the southeast corner of the stadium, the Vietnamese supporters’ group was relentless in their chanting. They seemed to embrace the rain and relish this moment.

The first half ended 1-0 in favor of Vietnam. A deflected shot from outside the box had left the Cambodian goalkeeper with his feet planted and put the home side in front. It was a positive first half for Vietnam, but Cambodia were not without chances on goal.

Success for the Vietnam national team has been tough to come by. Vietnam won its only trophy in the regional 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup. Aside from hosting the AFC Asian Cup in 2007, Vietnam recently earned its first entry through qualification to the continental tournament as a unified nation. The tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates from January 5 – February 1, 2019.

The VFF haven’t sat idly wishing for success either. There has been significant investment into their youth systems and domestic league. Though professional football in Vietnam started in the early 80s, the V. League was founded in 2001 and is largely perceived by the federation and fans alike as the vehicle that will bring Vietnam international success. Clubs are limited to registering only three foreign players, forcing the focus on developing Vietnamese talent.

Foreign clubs have also seen the VFF’s ambitions as signs of a market ready for investment. Premier League club Arsenal has partnered with V. League club Hoang Anh Gia Lai and invested in two youth academies in Vietnam.

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has signed a two-year contract as youth technical director with the Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talents FC (PVF). He’ll be charged with not only coaching the young players but also with coaching education. PVF aims to create a system that will make them “the leading youth football training center in Vietnam, in line with the famous football academies across the world.”

On that day in Hanoi, the young Vietnamese talent was on full display. Five different players scored, each a member of the V. League, including Nguyễn Công Phượng, 22 - the “Vietnamese Messi” - who was brought up through Hoang Anh Gia Lai – Arsenal JMG Academy.

Vietnam’s 5-0 win over Cambodia that night helped bolster their position in the table and a scoreless draw against Afghanistan in November clinched a berth in the upcoming Asian Cup with one match still to go. Below us, the small but passionate contingent of supporters were loving the goal-scoring spectacle, bouncing up and down, waving red flags and chanting Chiến Thắng!

The energy was contagious and with each goal even my traveling counterparts and I cheered on the home team. A few supporters had taken note of us—and, in particular, the blonde girl wearing the headband. Danielle, my girlfriend, became an instant celebrity. We had a blast taking in the scenes at My Dinh National Stadium and it didn’t end for us until long after the whistle. We continued celebrating the victory back at the beer garden.

Our time in Vietnam is an adventure I won’t forget. Meeting Bill and experiencing the the football culture in Vietnam was definitely a highlight of the trip. A month removed from eating delicious pho and drinking bia hoi, Vietnam is freshly qualified for the AFC Asian Cup and it appears the nation’s patience and persistence is starting to pay off.

Alex Kocher is a creative director working in professional soccer for Portland Timbers FC and Portland Thorns FC up in the Pacific Northwest.

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